Stephenson's Gallery is committed to making its website accessible to everyone, in accordance with UK law and best practices. We believe that art should be for all, and our digital presence aims to reflect this commitment by providing an inclusive experience for all users, including those with disabilities.
Our Legal Commitment: The Equality Act 2010
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers, including website owners, have a legal obligation to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure their services are accessible to people with disabilities. While the Act doesn't explicitly detail technical web accessibility standards, it broadly requires organisations to anticipate the needs of disabled customers and prevent discrimination.
Stephenson's Gallery strives to meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 by making our website perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users. We aim to prevent any less favourable treatment of individuals due to disability in their access to our online services.
Our Standard: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA
To meet our legal obligations and provide the best possible user experience, Stephenson's Gallery aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. These internationally recognised guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for making web content accessible to a wide range of people with disabilities. By adhering to WCAG 2.2 AA, we ensure our website is:
Perceivable: Information and user interface components are presented in ways that users can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, captions for multimedia, and ensuring sufficient colour contrast.
Operable: User interface components and navigation are operable. This means the website can be navigated using a keyboard only, and users have enough time to interact with content.
Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface are understandable. This involves using clear and consistent navigation, readable text, and predictable layouts.
Robust: Content is robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This includes using proper semantic HTML and ensuring compatibility with various browsers and screen readers.
Measures We Take to Ensure Accessibility
Stephenson's Gallery implements the following measures to support accessibility on our website:
Keyboard Navigation: All interactive elements, links, buttons, and forms can be accessed and navigated using only a keyboard.
Alternative Text (Alt Text): We provide descriptive alt text for all meaningful images, allowing screen readers to convey their content to users with visual impairments.
Clear Headings and Structure: We use semantic HTML to create a logical page structure with clear headings (H1, H2, etc.) to aid navigation and understanding for assistive technologies.
Sufficient Colour Contrast: We ensure that there is strong contrast between text and background colours to improve readability for users with low vision or colour blindness.
Resizable Text: Users can adjust text size without loss of functionality or content.
Descriptive Links: Link text is made descriptive so that its purpose is clear even when read out of context by a screen reader.
Accessible Forms: All forms have clear, descriptive labels and are fully keyboard-navigable and compatible with screen readers.
Multimedia Accessibility: Where videos or audio are used, we provide captions or transcripts to make the content accessible to users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Responsive Design: Our website is designed to be fully responsive, adapting to different screen sizes and devices, which benefits users who rely on screen magnifiers or mobile access.
Regular Audits and Testing: We conduct regular accessibility audits and testing to identify and address potential issues. We may also involve users with disabilities in testing to gain valuable insights.
Staff Training: We provide ongoing training for our team members involved in website development and content creation to ensure they understand and apply accessibility best practices.
Known Limitations
While we strive for the highest level of accessibility, we are aware that some limitations may exist. These might include:
Third-Party Content: Some embedded content from external providers (e.g., certain social media feeds or older video players) may not fully conform to WCAG 2.2 AA standards. We encourage all third-party partners to uphold accessibility principles.
Legacy Content: Very occasionally, some older documents or content, particularly those published before our current accessibility commitments were fully in place, may not be entirely accessible. We are working to review and update these where feasible.
If you encounter any accessibility barriers on our website, please let us know.
Feedback and Contact Information
Your feedback is invaluable to us in our ongoing efforts to improve the accessibility of Stephenson's Gallery website. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding accessibility, or if you encounter any difficulties accessing content, please contact us:
Email: contact@stephensonsgallery.co.uk
Phone: 07777 754088
Postal Address: 68 Heworth Village, York, YO31 1AL
We aim to respond to all accessibility feedback within 5 business days and will take all comments into consideration as we work to enhance our website's accessibility.
Enforcement Procedure
If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility feedback, you may escalate your concerns through the following channels:
Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS): The EASS provides free, independent advice and assistance to individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights, including disability discrimination. You can find their contact details on the GOV.UK website.
Date of this Accessibility Statement
This statement was last updated on 14 July 2025. We will review and update this statement regularly to reflect any changes to our website or legal requirements.