Accessibility

Your site is built to serve every visitor, including people who use a keyboard, a screen reader or magnification. Much of that is built in. The rest comes from how editors write.

What the site does

• Skip to main content is the first thing a keyboard reaches on every page, public and admin.
• Menus open and close from the keyboard, and close with Escape.
• Language is marked on every page and every result. A screen reader speaks each in the right voice.
• Motion stays still for visitors whose device asks for less of it, and the homepage slideshow has a Pause slideshow button.
• Brand colours keep a contrast of at least 4.5 to 1 against white. Site identity accepts nothing lighter.
• Reordering in the admin uses arrow buttons. The keyboard reaches every move.

The site also publishes an Accessibility Statement at /accessibility, linked from every page's footer, with how to ask for another format.

What editors add

• Describe every image. The Describe the image box, in each language, is what a screen reader speaks. Say what the image shows and why it is there. Leave it empty only for an image that is decoration alone.
• Use headings in order. One heading per topic, with sub-headings under it. A visitor then moves from heading to heading. See Rich text.
• Write link text that says where it goes. "Pay your property tax" tells a visitor more than "click here".
• Give documents a description. A PDF's description is what search and screen readers read.
• Write for each language. A page in every language the site offers reaches everyone. See Languages.