Accessibility statement

1.What we are aiming for

This site is built to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. That is a standard, not a slogan, and the paragraphs below say what we have actually done and where we know we fall short.

Accessibility matters here for an ordinary practical reason: a good deal of our audience reads on an inexpensive phone, over a slow connection, sometimes in bright sunlight. Designing for that is the same work as designing for a screen reader.

2.What we have done

• Every page can be operated by keyboard alone, with a visible focus outline that meets contrast requirements.
• A skip link jumps straight to the main content, and it is the first thing a keyboard user reaches.
• Text meets at least 4.5:1 contrast against its background; large text meets 3:1. The palette was chosen against those thresholds rather than adjusted afterwards.
• Headings run in a logical order so screen-reader users can navigate by structure.
• Every meaningful image has descriptive alternative text. Decorative images are hidden from assistive technology rather than given empty noise.
• Forms have real labels, errors are announced, and error messages say what to do rather than only what went wrong.
• Text resizes to 200% without loss of content or function, and the layout reflows to 320px width without horizontal scrolling.
• Animation respects the operating system's reduced-motion setting. If you have that on, the river illustration does not animate.
• The site works without JavaScript for reading; forms need it for progressive enhancement but degrade to standard submissions.

3.Where we currently fall short

Publishing an accessibility statement with no known issues usually means nobody tested it. Ours:

• The interactive catchment map is difficult to use with a screen reader. A text and table alternative listing every site is provided alongside it, but the map itself is not yet equivalent.
• Some downloadable PDFs of older reports are scans without a text layer. We are re-issuing these as tagged PDFs; in the meantime ask us and we will send an accessible version.
• Charts convey information through colour and shape; we provide the underlying figures as a table beneath each one, but the charts themselves are not fully navigable.

4.Telling us about a problem

If something on this site is difficult or impossible for you to use, please tell us. Email info@riverrwizicharityconservation.org, or call +256 781 013 376 and ask for whoever looks after the website.

We aim to respond within five working days. If we cannot fix something quickly, we will tell you honestly how long it will take, and we will offer the information another way in the meantime.

5.How we test

We test with keyboard navigation, automated auditing, and screen-reader checks on the main journeys: reading a page, giving a donation, filling in the contact form, and using the navigation menu.

Automated tools catch perhaps a third of real accessibility problems. The rest need a person, so we also test manually against the checklist above whenever we add a significant feature.