City Garden Accessibility Statement

City Garden is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all visitors, both in the physical City Garden area and on our digital platforms. We aim to make our information, services, and spaces accessible so that everyone can enjoy and navigate City Garden with confidence and independence.

Our commitment to accessibility

We are working to ensure that the City Garden website and digital services are accessible and usable for as many people as possible. Our goal is to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG version 2.1 level AA. These internationally recognised guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for disabled people and more user friendly for everyone.

Accessibility is an ongoing process. We regularly review feedback, update our content and improve features to support visitors who use assistive technologies, as well as those with different levels of vision, hearing, mobility, cognition or sensory processing.

Using the City Garden website with assistive technologies

The City Garden website is designed to work with a range of assistive technologies, including screen readers and screen magnifiers. We aim to provide clear structure with headings, text alternatives for images, and descriptive labels so that visitors can understand the information without relying solely on visual content.

We work to ensure that content is presented in a logical reading order, that important information is not conveyed by colour alone, and that text is written in plain language wherever possible. Our intention is that visitors using assistive technology can easily find important details about accessibility in the City Garden area, including routes, facilities, and services.

Screen-reader support

Pages on the City Garden website are coded to support common screen-reader software. We use descriptive page titles, heading structures and form labels to help with orientation and navigation. Where images convey important meaning, we aim to provide meaningful text alternatives so that visitors using screen readers receive equivalent information.

We also seek to minimise the use of automatic content that could be confusing for screen-reader users, such as auto-playing media or rapidly updating areas of the page. When dynamic content is necessary, we aim to implement it in a way that is announced clearly and consistently.

Keyboard navigation

The City Garden website is designed to be navigable using a keyboard alone, without requiring a mouse or touch gesture. Visitors should be able to move through interactive elements using standard keyboard commands, such as the Tab, Shift plus Tab and Enter keys.

We aim to provide a visible focus indicator so that keyboard users can see which element is currently selected. Menus, forms and interactive components are being tested and improved to ensure that they can be used solely with keyboard navigation, supporting visitors who rely on assistive devices or who prefer not to use a pointing device.

Accessibility of the City Garden area

We want the physical City Garden area to be as accessible as possible. This includes working to provide step free routes where feasible, clear signage, seating areas for rest, and surfaces that are suitable for visitors using wheelchairs, mobility aids, or pushchairs.

Information about accessible entrances, paths, and facilities in and around City Garden is being reviewed and updated so that it is accurate and easy to understand. Our aim is to help visitors plan their visit in advance and move around the area safely and comfortably.

Ongoing improvements

Accessibility is central to the way we plan future changes to the City Garden area and our online services. We regularly assess our website and public spaces against recognised guidance, including WCAG 2.1 AA for digital content, and consider the needs of a wide range of visitors when designing or updating features.

As standards and technologies evolve, we will continue to improve how we present information and how we support different ways of experiencing City Garden, both online and on site.

Feedback and accessibility requests

We welcome feedback about the accessibility of City Garden. If you encounter any accessibility barriers on the website or in the City Garden area, or if you need information in a different format, you can contact us with the details of your request, the page or location you were using, and the type of support you need.

We review all accessibility requests and will do our best to respond in a timely manner. Your feedback helps us identify issues, prioritise improvements and make City Garden more accessible for everyone.

Accessibility concerns and complaints

If you believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, or if you are not satisfied with how we have responded to an accessibility request, you can raise a concern with us. Please provide as much information as possible about the issue, including when it occurred and how it affected your ability to access City Garden services or spaces.

We take all accessibility concerns seriously and use them to guide our ongoing work to improve the inclusivity of City Garden.