Effective date: 17 September 2026
Last reviewed: 17 September 2026
Next planned accessibility audit: September 2027
The William Henry Smith Foundation is committed to making our website accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of ability or technology. We aim to provide an inclusive online experience and to continually improve the accessibility of our website.
Current Accessibility Status
Our website has been designed with accessibility in mind. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA standard wherever possible.
Following recent accessibility testing using the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool, we identified a small number of technical issues requiring further attention. The alternative text issues identified during the testing have now been addressed.
The remaining issues identified through the testing relate primarily to the website's underlying code and technical implementation. These are being addressed by our web development agency.
We currently consider the website to be partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA while these improvements are being implemented.
Known accessibility issues
The remaining issues identified through our latest accessibility testing include:
Empty buttons: two buttons were identified without an accessible name. These are being addressed to ensure that interactive controls can be understood and used by people using assistive technologies.
Colour contrast: one instance of very low colour contrast was identified and is being corrected to improve readability.
Heading structure: one skipped heading level was identified and is being corrected to ensure that content has a logical and meaningful structure.
Redundant links: two potentially redundant links were identified and are being reviewed to ensure that links are clear and meaningful.
PDF documents: some documents available through the website, particularly PDFs, may not yet be fully accessible to screen readers or other assistive technologies.
Third-party content: some third-party content, services or plugins may not fully meet accessibility standards and may be outside our direct control.
The alternative text issues identified during the latest testing have been reviewed and addressed.
How We Are Improving Accessibility
We are working with our web development agency and content providers to:
Resolve the outstanding technical accessibility issues identified through our latest testing.
Improve compatibility with keyboards, screen readers and other assistive technologies.
Ensure that buttons, links, forms and interactive elements have appropriate accessible names.
Ensure that colour contrast meets accessibility requirements.
Maintain a logical and meaningful heading structure.
Review and improve the accessibility of downloadable documents, including PDFs.
Address accessibility issues relating to third-party content and services where these are within our control.
Consider accessibility when adding new content and functionality to the website.
Where it is not immediately possible to make content fully accessible, we will seek to provide an appropriate alternative format where reasonably possible.
Testing and Review
We use automated accessibility testing as part of our ongoing monitoring. We recognise that automated testing cannot identify every accessibility issue, so we will also use manual checks and other appropriate testing when reviewing the website. Our web development agency is currently addressing the remaining technical issues identified through our latest accessibility testing.
A further formal accessibility audit is planned for September 2027. We will use the findings from that audit to assess progress and identify any further improvements required.
We will also review this accessibility statement at least annually and update it sooner where significant changes are made to the website or where new accessibility issues are identified.
Feedback and Contact
We welcome feedback about the accessibility of our website. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, have difficulty accessing any content, or need information in an alternative format, please contact us.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01484 710123
Address: The William Henry Smith Foundation, Boothroyd Lane, Brighouse, HD6 3JW
When contacting us about an accessibility issue, please provide as much information as possible about the content or service you were trying to access and the difficulty you experienced. This will help us investigate and resolve the issue.
We will consider requests for information or content in alternative formats and will work with you to identify an appropriate solution where possible.