Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the website VisitTunbridgeWells.com.

This website is run by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use our website and have designed it so that it lets you edit your preferred settings, with options to:

zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate it using just a keyboard
navigate most of it using speech recognition software
listen to most of it using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

This site has been built to be as accessible as possible and tested against WCAG 2.2 AA. There are some areas which are not yet fully accessible:

our menu is not currently easily accessible using just a keyboard
our events calendar carousel cannot be reached with a keyboard
please be aware that some links may open in a new window
some images with text overlaid have poor colour contrast
some images do not have image descriptions (alternative text)
you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

email touristinformationcentre@tunbridgewells.gov.uk or,
call 01892 515675

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email touristinformationcentre@tunbridgewells.gov.uk.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your request, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Unfortunately, we do not provide a text relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment. We can, however, use a mediated text relay service if one is provided by the person calling.

Our Tourist Information Centre does not have audio induction loops however, the Gateway offices have audio induction loops. Alternatively if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter through Kent County Council Sensory Services or you can call ahead and book them directly on 03000 418 100 or email sensoryandautism@kent.gov.uk.

Find out how to contact us.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

non-compliances – this means the content in question is in scope of the regulations, but there’s an accessibility problem with it
an exemption – this means the inaccessible content is out of scope of the regulations, or it’d be a disproportionate burden for us to make it accessible

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Images on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
Some images include text with poor colour contrast to its background. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)).
Some images include elements with poor colour contrast to the background. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast).
The menu sliding panels (Off Canvas menus) cannot easily be accessed by keyboard or screen readers, as focus does not land on the menu and requires many keypresses to reach the content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order). We are working towards rectifying this, and meanwhile we would like to direct you to our very detailed Sitemap, that can function as a full menu.
The translation tool cannot be accessed by keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order).
Some menu items are too close together and do not have sufficient size and spacing from adjacent targets. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.8 Target size).
Some navigation elements, eg. arrows on carousels are not accessible by keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
On some carousels, there is no visual indicator when the item is in focus. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
Some nested interactive controls are nested in other interactive elements and may not be announced by screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
Some elements that are links do not have text that is visible to screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context).
Some elements are in the tab order but do not have accessible text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context).
The google maps in the directory do not have an iframe with an accessible name. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).

The leaflets are historical. New leaflets will meet the accessibility standards when newly published.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are undertaking an accessibility audit and fixing known errors as soon as possible. Some errors are caused by third party plugins and we are working to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

We are providing accessibility training sessions to our web editors.