Accessibility at Cleaner Richmond

Cleaner Richmond is committed to making our online information and services accessible to as many people as possible in the Cleaner Richmond area. We want everyone to be able to use our website and digital services, including people with disabilities, older people, people using assistive technologies, and people with different levels of digital skills.

Our accessibility commitment

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, at AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with a wide range of access needs, including visual, hearing, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological differences. By working towards WCAG 2.1 AA, we also seek to improve the overall user experience for everyone visiting our Cleaner Richmond services online.

How we support screen readers

Our website is designed to be compatible with commonly used screen readers. We use clear heading structures so that screen reader users can navigate quickly through pages. Images are given descriptive text alternatives wherever possible, so that important information is not lost if you cannot see the image. Forms and interactive elements are labelled so that their purpose is announced clearly by screen readers.

We also aim to keep page layouts simple and consistent, to support users who rely on audio feedback or who navigate by heading, region, or link lists. Where we use icons, we accompany them with text or labels so that the function or meaning is announced to assistive technologies.

Keyboard navigation and focus

The Cleaner Richmond website is designed to be usable with a keyboard alone, without the need for a mouse or touch input. You should be able to move through all interactive elements in a logical order using the tab, shift plus tab, enter, and space keys. We work to ensure that menus, buttons, and form fields can all be reached and activated using keyboard navigation.

Visible focus indicators are provided so that you can see which element is currently selected when navigating by keyboard. We also aim to avoid keyboard traps, meaning you should always be able to move forwards and backwards through content and exit interactive components using standard keyboard commands.

Text, layout, and readability

We use clear language and straightforward sentence structures wherever we can, to make our information easier to understand. Pages are designed to reflow on different screen sizes so that you can access Cleaner Richmond information on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.

We aim for sufficient colour contrast between text and background to support users with low vision or colour vision differences. Text can be resized using your browser settings without loss of content or functionality, up to the levels recommended in WCAG 2.1 AA.

Ongoing improvements

Accessibility is an ongoing process. We review our website and digital services regularly to identify areas where accessibility can be improved. When we introduce new features or content for the Cleaner Richmond area, we consider accessibility at each stage of design, development, and publishing.

Contact for accessibility requests

If you have difficulty using any part of the Cleaner Richmond website or if you need information in a different format, such as large print, plain text, or an alternative file type, you can contact us using the contact details on our main contact page. Please describe the web page or service you are trying to use, what you were trying to do, and the type of support or alternative format you need.

We will review your request and aim to respond in a reasonable timeframe. Your feedback helps us understand where people experience barriers and where we can improve accessibility for everyone in the Cleaner Richmond area.

Reporting accessibility issues

If you believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, or if you encounter repeated barriers when using our website, please tell us using the same contact route. Include as much detail as possible, such as the page address, the device and browser you are using, and any assistive technology involved. We will investigate the issue and work to address it as part of our ongoing commitment to accessible Cleaner Richmond services.