Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to www.visitworcestershire.org

This website is run by Worcestershire County Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• Access text alternatives for most non-text content

• Change the presentation of most content

• Navigate most of the website using only a keyboard

• Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software

• Listen to most of the website using a screen reader

• Easily navigate, find content and determine where you are on the site

• Use different input modalities beyond a keyboard

• Read and understand text content

We have written the website text so that it is as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible is this website?

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. We have undertaken an accessibility audit as part of the website design and build, and have listed the areas of the website which are not currently fully accessible:

• Text appears to be a heading but is not always a heading element.

• Adjacent links sometimes go to the same URL.

• A <noscript> element is present.

Work to remedy these are ongoing.

Feedback and Contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

• Email: visitworcestershire@worcestershire.gov.uk

• Call: 01905 846299

We will consider all requests received and get back to you in 14 days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email us for directions.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: visitworcestershire@worcestershire.gov.uk

Enforcement Procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Visit Worcestershire is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance Status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA standard due to the following non-compliances and exceptions listed below:

• 1.4.3 - Some content has a low contrast ratio (We have introduced an accessibility toggle to remedy this issue, when toggled on the contract ratios change).

• 1.3.1 – Info and Relationships –some of the form controls do not have labels, this fails WCAG 21 Success Criterion and our developers are looking to correct this problem by January 2023.

• 1.4.5 Images of Text –occurrences of images of text on the website exist, these relate to use of our logo and wider Visit Worcestershire branding which is exempt under the clause.

• 1.1.1 Non Text Content –some occasions of non text content exist, but these are designed not to be seen by the user e.g. the use of blank space to create an aesthetic effect. Putting alternative text on such items just distracts people using screen readers from the content on the page and as such, we will not be amending this fault.

• SVG Map Location Button - SVG <g> elements cannot support tabindex. This is a known limitation.

• 1.4.10 Reflow - At 400% zoom / 320 x 256px, issues were noted with the cookie banner and expanded menu not reflowing correctly. This is a known limitation.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

• Our site links to some PDFs and documents hosted by other organisations on their own site, while we work to make these as accessible as possible this may not always be possible as we do not control the original documents. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish on our own website will meet accessibility standards.

Live video

• We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We use SCULPT for Accessibility as a training model for our wider organisation to improve the creation of accessible documents.

We have conducted a full audit of our website to identify and fully understand all accessibility barriers our website may contain. We plan to re-test and review the accessibility of the website and statement annually.

We are working closely with our website provider to address accessibility issues identified in this statement.

Disproportionate burden

Text alternatives Third-party images:

Some imagery added to this website comes from third-party advertisers who list their business, event or experience with us and may not have a text alternative that is fully descriptive of the image. We encourage all advertisers to provide images in this format; however, due to the volume of third-party imagery we receive it is not possible for us to moderate and amend all of this content to provide the optimum description in every case.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 31 October 2022. It was last reviewed on 07 May 2025.

This website was last tested on 02 May 2025. The test was carried out by DestinationCore using the WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool. We selected a sample of pages that covered each of the templates and features present within our site. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The accessibility will be reviewed annually from this date, or when large design amends takes place.

We are working closely with our website provider to address accessibility issues identified in this statement.