Accessibility Statement

River Arts & Media is committed to making our website usable by as many people as possible, regardless of technology or ability. We treat accessibility as ongoing work rather than a one-time project, and we review the site regularly.

Conformance status

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. This website is currently partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Partially conformant means that most of the site meets the standard, but some content does not yet fully conform. The areas we are aware of are listed under Known limitations below.

What we have done

Accessibility features built into the site include:

  • Full keyboard navigation, with a visible focus indicator on every link, button and form field
  • A “Skip to main content” link at the top of every page
  • A single, meaningful page heading on every page, with a logical heading structure beneath it
  • Descriptive alternative text for images that convey information, and decorative images marked so screen readers skip them
  • Text and interface colours checked against WCAG AA contrast requirements
  • Labelled form fields, and buttons and links with clear accessible names
  • ARIA landmark roles so screen reader users can jump between the header, main content, navigation and footer
  • No automatically moving content — image carousels advance only when the visitor chooses to
  • Reduced-motion support, so animations are switched off for visitors whose device is set to minimise motion

Accessibility toolbar

In addition to the above, the site offers an accessibility toolbar that lets visitors adjust text size, contrast and other display preferences. The toolbar is an extra convenience — it is not a substitute for the accessibility work built into the site itself.

Known limitations

Despite our efforts, some limitations remain. If you encounter something not listed here, please tell us.

  • Third-party features. Online donations and checkout, account log-in and spam protection are provided by third-party software. We monitor these, but we do not control their code and they may not always meet the same standard as the rest of the site.
  • Documents. Some older PDFs and downloadable documents may not be fully accessible. If you need any document in an alternative format, contact us and we will provide one.
  • Day-to-day content. Our pages are updated regularly by staff and volunteers. Occasionally new content may be published before its alternative text or heading structure has been reviewed. We check content periodically and correct issues as we find them.

How we test

We assess this site by self-evaluation, combining automated accessibility scanning with manual checks — navigating the site by keyboard only, reviewing it with a screen reader, and verifying colour contrast values directly.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of this website. If you run into a barrier, or need information from this site in a different format, please get in touch through our contact page and tell us the page address and what you were trying to do. We aim to respond within five business days.

This statement was last reviewed in July 2026.