Making the workbench usable

Our approach

We are working towards the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.2 Level AA. The full public site and private workbench have not yet completed an independent accessibility audit, so we do not currently claim full conformance.

What we have built in

• Semantic headings, landmarks, labels and descriptive link text.
• Visible keyboard focus and keyboard-operable forms and navigation.
• Responsive layouts that can be enlarged and used on smaller screens.
• Text alternatives for meaningful interface images where an equivalent description is possible.
• A reduced-motion mode when the browser or operating system requests it.
• Form errors and account status messages exposed to assistive technology.

Known areas under review

• The zoomable folio viewer, region drawing and image comparison controls require further keyboard and screen-reader testing.
• Some manuscript images, diagrams and historical symbols cannot be fully conveyed by short alternative text; longer descriptions and structured research notes will be added where useful.
• Dense research tables, plots and model-result visualisations need additional non-visual summaries.
• Colour contrast, focus order and reflow will continue to be checked as new screens are added.

Getting help

If a page, control, document or research view is difficult to use, contact us and include:

• the page address and the task you were trying to complete;
• what went wrong and any error message;
• your browser, device and assistive technology, if you are comfortable sharing them; and
• the format or adjustment that would help.

We will acknowledge accessibility reports and aim to provide a practical alternative while the underlying issue is investigated.

Reviewing this statement

This statement will be updated as accessibility testing is completed and known issues are fixed. New workbench features will be reviewed as part of their normal design and release process.