Accessibility statement — Gardening Southfields

Gardening Southfields is committed to making our information and services accessible to everyone in the Southfields area. This accessibility statement explains how we aim to meet WCAG 2.1 AA compliance standards, support screen readers, and provide reliable keyboard navigation. We strive to use clear language, consistent headings, and semantic structure so that assistive technologies can present content accurately. If you use assistive tools or need an alternative format, we outline how to request help below. Our approach is practical, iterative, and community-focused as part of accessible gardening in Southfields.

We design pages and resources for people using keyboards and those relying on screen-reader support. Key accessibility features include logical tab order, visible focus indicators, and ARIA roles where necessary. Our code practices emphasize clean markup, meaningful link text, and labelled form controls to support keyboard navigation and improve compatibility with voice-over tools. We also ensure accessible color contrast and avoid conveying meaning by colour alone so that Southfields gardening resources are usable by more people.

What we follow: we reference the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines and apply them to content, interactive tools, and PDFs where possible. Our accessibility checklist includes:

• Compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria relevant to text, images, and layout.
• Screen-reader compatibility through semantic HTML and ARIA where appropriate.
• Full keyboard navigation so interactive elements are reachable without a mouse.
• Clear headings, lists, and descriptive links to support scanning and comprehension.

Screen-reader support and implementation: we test with popular screen readers and focus on ensuring that garden activity schedules, volunteer sign-up forms, and event details can be read linearly and navigated efficiently. Our volunteers and content creators receive guidance on writing accessible text, adding descriptive image text, and labelling controls. When interactive maps or booking widgets are used to support Southfields gardening activities, we provide accessible alternatives such as textual location descriptions and keyboard-operable controls.

Keyboard navigation is central to our accessibility work. We implement skip links, logical tab sequences, and visible focus styles so that keyboard users can access menus, event sign-ups, and resources without barriers. Where complex widgets are necessary, we supply clear instructions and ensure ARIA attributes are correctly applied to announce state changes. Our maintenance process includes manual keyboard testing and automated checks to catch regressions as content is updated.

Requesting assistance and reporting barriers: if you require information in an alternative format, need support using our services, or find an accessibility issue in our Southfields gardening materials, please contact our accessibility team through the organisation's published contact channels with a clear description of the request or barrier and your preferred format. We will consider all reasonable adjustments and aim to respond promptly. In your message, include which content you need, the format you prefer, and any relevant deadlines so we can prioritise appropriately.

We continually review and improve our accessibility practices. This includes periodic manual audits, automated testing against WCAG 2.1 AA, and user testing with volunteers and community members who have lived experience of accessibility needs. Our staff and volunteers are trained to consider accessibility when producing new materials for gardening events, notices, and schedules in the Southfields area. We keep records of improvements and publish updates to this statement as our work evolves.

Limitations: some third-party content or embedded widgets may not fully meet WCAG 2.1 AA immediately. Where such content is essential, we seek accessible alternatives, provide clear explanations of any limitations, and supply equivalent information on request. We take responsibility for ensuring that core gardening services and communications are accessible and will work with partners to resolve issues.

Further information: this statement covers our commitment to accessible gardening resources and community activities across the Southfields area. For accessibility requests or to report barriers, please contact our accessibility team using the organisation's published contact channels and include details so we can help effectively. We welcome collaboration to improve access and will update practices to reflect new guidance and community needs.

Commitment to continuous improvement

We are committed to ongoing improvements in accessible gardening, inclusive events, and user-centred design. Regular reviews, community input, and adherence to WCAG 2.1 AA are the foundations of our approach. Thank you for helping Gardening Southfields remain welcoming and usable for everyone.