Using the pages
Accessibility
What the pages are built to support, where they are still limited, and how to tell the publisher when a barrier gets in the way.
Published · Updated
| Topic | In place | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | One h1 on each page. Sections use h2 and h3 in order. A skip link goes to the main content. Landmarks mark the header, notice, main area, and footer. | The footer repeats a set of links on every page, which is deliberate and can be long in a screen-reader heading list. |
| Keyboard | Menu, links, and cookie controls are reachable by keyboard. Focus is visible. Escape closes the mobile menu when it is open. | The mobile menu is a disclosure. It does not trap focus, so you can tab out of it. |
| Text | Body copy uses a serif set at a comfortable size. Layout uses flexible type and stacks on small screens. | Very large browser zoom can make the decorative vertical label on the about page awkward. The label repeats the word “Publisher”, which is also in the heading area. |
| Colour | Body text is dark on a light ground, or light on a dark ground. Brass is used for lines and large type more than for small sentences. | Some captions are a quieter grey. If a caption is too faint on your display, write to the help address. |
| Images | Photographs have alt text that describes the material or the scene. The logo in the header is decorative because the name sits beside it. The joint diagram has a text alternative. | Alt text cannot carry every detail of a grain photograph. The surrounding paragraphs are the explanation. |
| Motion | Entrance motion is short. If the system asks for reduced motion, those animations are turned off and scrolling is immediate. | Hover still changes colour. That is a state change, not a moving element. |
| Cookies | The banner is in the page, not injected later. Settings can be reopened from the footer and from the cookie policy. | The banner is a region at the bottom of the screen until a choice is saved. It can cover the lower part of a short page. Necessary only removes it. |
What this page does not claim
It does not claim a formal audit, a certificate, or that every success criterion of WCAG is met. It records the decisions that were built in. If a criterion is missed, the useful response is a report, not a badge.
Report a barrier
Email [email protected]. Include the page address, the browser and any assistive technology you use, and what you were trying to do. The contact page explains why that address is separate from the editorial inbox. If you would rather use the telephone, the published number is +44 20 7749 1780.
There is no site search. The catalogue is the index. Policy pages link to each other in the text: editorial policy, disclaimer, privacy, cookies, and terms.