Improvements

Animation

Our virtual tour homepage had moving images with no method to pause the movement. This can be very distracting for some people and can make it hard to access the virtual tour. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide. We worked with the 3rd party responsible for our virtual tour to create a more accessible version which includes a pause button.

Some pages had image sliders which moved automatically. They could be stopped by mouseover, but there was no mechanism to pause the slider while continuing to use the page. This was very distracting for some people and could make it hard to access the information on the sliders. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide. We have changed the way our image sliders function so that they can now be paused correctly.

Some pages had image sliders which interfered with the ability of screen readers to read out the text on the page. This meant that the content didn't make sense to people using screen readers. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 conformance requirement 5.2.5 Non-Interference. We have changed the way our image sliders function so that they no longer interfere with screen readers.

Audio

Our virtual tour page played music automatically and the mute button was not accessible via keyboard. This could cause difficulty for people using screen readers as it interfered with their ability to hear what was being read out. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.2 Audio Control or 2.1.1 Keyboard. We worked with the 3rd party responsible for our virtual tour to create a more accessible version which includes a mute button that is accessible via keyboard. In addition, the music no longer automatically starts when the page loads.

Forms

Some forms did not have radio button or check box selections contained within a fieldset. This could mean that it was not clear to people filling out the form that the radio buttons or checkboxes belonged to a single question on the form. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions. We have improved our form systems so all radio buttons and check box selections are now contained within a fieldset.

On some forms, the focus indicator was not visible when accessing a set of radio buttons or check boxes. This could mean that people were not sure where they were on the page while trying to fill out the form using a keyboard. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible. We have improved our form systems so the focus indicator is now visible on all radio buttons and check boxes.

Some forms contained fieldsets which had no legends. This could mean that it was not clear to people filling out the form what fields were included in the fieldset. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions. We have improved our form systems so all fieldsets now have legends.

Some forms did not have labels set correctly for some fields and were using a placeholder rather than a label. This could mean that it's not clear to people filling out the form what data they should enter into the field. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. We have added aria labels to the fields to clarify their purpose.

Some forms had orphaned form labels. This could mean that it was not clear to people filling out the form what field the label belonged to. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions. We have updated forms to ensure there are no orphaned form labels.

Images

We have ensured that all centrally controlled images (those outside of web editors' control) have a text alternative unless they are purely decorative. We have ensured that content templates allow web editors to add text alternatives to the images that they upload.

Headings 

We have ensured that all centrally controlled headings (those outside of web editors' control) are correctly nested.

Keyboard

Some pages had areas that could not be accessed via keyboard. This included pages using ‘accordions’ or ‘tabs’. This meant that the information contained in the accordions or tabs was not available to people navigating via keyboard. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard. We have changed the way our accordions and tabs function so that the content within them is now accessible via keyboard.

On some pages, the focus indicator was not visible when you tabbed onto image sliders. This could mean that people were not sure where they were on the page while accessing it via a keyboard. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible. We have changed the way our image sliders function so that the focus indicator is visible at all times.

Landmarks

Some of the content of our pages was outside of any ARIA landmark. This could be confusing to people using assistive technology. This didn't meet WCAG 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks. We have updated our code to ensure that all content is contained within an ARIA landmark.

Links

Links used to open and close the sub-sections in our global navigation did not have text or titles. This meant that people using assistive technology may not have known what the links did. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context). We have added text to these links explaining what they do.

Text

Some pages use ‘accordions’ or ‘tabs’ which could mean that the content within them was not available to a screen reader user or that the content was available, but not in an obvious way (e.g. by skipping through lists on the page). This meant that the content may not have been available to some people and was likely to be confusing. This didn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. We have changed the way our accordions and tabs function so that the content within them is now accessible via screen reader.