Accessibility Policy

Our Commitment to Accessibility

Churches Together in Luton is committed to ensuring that the Praise in the Park website and event are accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or disability. We believe that all people are made in the image of God and deserve equal access to our community events and digital resources.

We strive to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards and continuously work to improve the accessibility of our website. Accessibility is an ongoing effort, and we welcome feedback from our visitors to help us improve.

Website Accessibility Features

We have implemented the following features to help make our website accessible to as many people as possible:

• Accessibility Toolbar: Our website includes a floating accessibility toolbar that provides a wide range of adjustments. Look for the accessibility icon in the corner of the screen to open the toolbar and customise your experience.
• Semantic HTML: Our website uses proper heading structures, landmarks, and semantic elements to support screen readers and assistive technologies.
• Automatic Landmark Labelling: Our accessibility system automatically adds descriptive labels to navigation regions and ensures proper landmark structure, improving the experience for screen reader users.
• Skip to Content Link: A keyboard-accessible “Skip to main content” link is provided at the top of every page, allowing keyboard and screen reader users to bypass repetitive navigation and jump directly to the main content.
• Keyboard Navigation: All interactive elements on our website, including the accessibility toolbar, can be accessed using a keyboard alone without requiring a mouse. The toolbar supports Escape key to close and full focus management.
• Text Alternatives: Images on our website include descriptive alternative text (alt text) where appropriate to convey meaning to users of screen readers.
• Colour Contrast: We maintain sufficient colour contrast ratios between text and background colours to ensure readability for users with low vision or colour blindness.
• Readable Font Sizes: Our website uses a minimum font size of 1.5rem (24px) to ensure text is clearly readable. Text can also be further enlarged using the accessibility toolbar or your browser’s zoom functionality.
• Responsive Design: Our website is designed to work across a range of devices and screen sizes, including desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones.
• Descriptive Links: We aim to use clear, descriptive link text so users understand where a link will take them.
• Form Labels: All form fields include clear labels and instructions to assist users in completing forms accurately.
• ARIA Attributes: Where appropriate, we use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to enhance the accessibility of dynamic content and interactive elements.
• Saved Preferences: Your accessibility toolbar settings are remembered between visits so you do not need to reconfigure them each time.

Accessibility Toolbar Features

Our built-in accessibility toolbar provides the following adjustments, which you can activate at any time by clicking the accessibility icon on the screen:

Text Adjustments

• Font Size Control: Increase or decrease text size using an easy slider, from 80% to 200% of the default size.
• Line Height Control: Adjust the spacing between lines of text to improve readability.
• Letter Spacing Control: Increase the spacing between individual characters for easier reading.

Visual Options

• Dyslexia-Friendly Font: Switch to the OpenDyslexic font, which is designed to improve readability for people with dyslexia.
• High Contrast Mode: Enhance colour contrast across the website for improved visibility.
• Dark Mode: Switch to a dark background with light text to reduce eye strain, particularly in low-light environments.
• Grayscale Mode: Remove all colours from the website, which can help reduce visual distractions.
• Highlight Links: Make all links visually prominent with high-contrast highlighting so they are easier to identify.
• Hide Images: Remove images from the page to reduce visual distractions and focus on text content.

Reading Aids

• Reading Guide: A horizontal ruler that follows your cursor, helping you track which line of text you are reading.
• Reading Mask: Dims the content above and below your cursor position, allowing you to focus on the text immediately around the cursor.
• Text to Speech: Select any text on the page and it will be read aloud using your device’s built-in speech synthesis.

Navigation Aids

• Big Cursor: Activates a larger mouse pointer for improved visibility.
• Enhanced Focus Highlight: Adds a prominent visual indicator around the element currently focused by keyboard navigation.
• Pause Animations: Stops all moving content and animations on the page, which can help users who are sensitive to motion.

All toolbar settings can be reset at any time using the “Reset All Settings” button within the toolbar.

Event Accessibility

We are committed to making the Praise in the Park event as accessible and inclusive as possible. The following provisions are available at the event:

Physical Access

• Wardown Park is a public park with accessible pathways and entrances.
• Designated accessible viewing areas will be available near the main stage.
• Accessible toilet facilities will be provided on site.
• We will endeavour to ensure that the event site is as level and accessible as possible, however please be aware that the event takes place on grass and uneven terrain.

Assistance & Support

• Trained stewards and volunteers will be available throughout the event to assist visitors with accessibility needs.
• A dedicated information point will be available for accessibility enquiries on the day.
• Assistance dogs are welcome at the event.
• Personal assistants and carers accompanying disabled visitors are welcome and do not need to register separately.

Communication

• Key announcements will be made both verbally and displayed visually where possible.
• Event programmes and information will be available in large print on request. Please contact us in advance if you require this.

Known Limitations

We are aware that our website may not yet be fully accessible in all areas. We are actively working to identify and resolve accessibility issues. Known limitations include:

• Some embedded third-party content (such as Google Maps) may not be fully accessible, as this content is controlled by the third-party provider.
• Some older PDF documents linked from our website may not be fully accessible. We are working to update these documents.
• Some interactive elements may have limited accessibility on certain older assistive technology software.
• The Text to Speech feature relies on your device’s built-in speech synthesis and may not be available on all browsers or devices.
• The Big Cursor feature uses a custom cursor image which may not display on all devices or operating systems.

We are committed to addressing these limitations as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience as we continue to improve.

Browser & Assistive Technology Compatibility

Our website has been designed and tested to work with the following browsers and assistive technologies:

• Browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge (latest versions).
• Screen Readers: NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver (macOS and iOS), TalkBack (Android).
• Other Tools: Keyboard-only navigation, browser zoom (up to 200%), high contrast mode, accessibility toolbar.

If you experience difficulties using our website with a particular browser or assistive technology, please let us know so we can investigate and work to resolve the issue.

Reporting Accessibility Issues

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our website and event. If you encounter any barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us. We take all feedback seriously and will do our best to respond within 5 working days.

When reporting an issue, it would be helpful if you could provide the following information:

• A description of the accessibility problem you encountered.
• The page or feature where you experienced the issue.
• The browser and assistive technology you were using (if applicable).
• Any suggestions for how we might improve.

Enforcement Procedure

If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility concern, you have the right to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS). The EASS provides advice and information to individuals with complaints about discrimination and accessibility.

You can contact EASS at: equalityadvisoryservice.com or by calling 0808 800 0082.

Under the Equality Act 2010, event organisers and service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage. We take this duty seriously and are committed to meeting our legal obligations.

Review & Updates

This Accessibility Policy is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect changes to our website, event facilities, or accessibility standards. The date of the most recent review is shown at the top of this policy.

We are committed to ongoing improvement and will continue to enhance the accessibility of our website and event as technology and best practices evolve.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about our accessibility practices, need assistance accessing content on our website, or require specific accessibility provisions at the Praise in the Park event, please contact us at:

Churches Together in Luton
Praise in the Park Luton
Email: francoise.julian@wofc.org.uk

We are happy to help and will do our best to meet your needs.