This site is for people who are having a hard time, among others. It would be a poor sort of anthology if some of them couldn't use it.
So this page is an honest account: what has been done, what is known to be imperfect, and how to tell me when something doesn't work. It is not a claim that everything is fine.
What I aim for
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. That is the standard UK public sector websites are held to. The Hope Anthology isn't a public body and isn't legally required to meet it, but it is the right target and it is what I am working towards.
I have not had the site independently audited against it. When I say something works, I mean I have checked it myself.
What is in place
Every image has alternative text. Every photograph of an artist's work carries a written description, so if you use a screen reader, or if images don't load, you still get told what is there. This was checked page by page rather than assumed.
Headings are structured properly. Each page has one main heading and a logical order beneath it, so you can navigate by headings rather than reading through everything.
Links say where they go. "See Nell's work" rather than "click here". If you pull up a list of links on a page, they should make sense on their own.
The content is readable without JavaScript. The site is built with JavaScript, which historically meant that anything not running it — some assistive tools, some browsers, some crawlers — saw almost nothing. Every page now carries a plain-text version of its content underneath, so the words are there regardless.
No tracking, no cookie banner. The site sets only the cookies it needs to function. There is no pop-up asking you to make a decision before you can read anything.
No autoplay, no motion. Nothing moves, flashes or plays on its own.
What is not right yet
I would rather tell you than let you find out.
"Skip to content" doesn't currently work. The link is there, but because of how the site is built, it doesn't land where it should. If you navigate by keyboard, you will have to tab through the navigation on each page. This is a structural problem and a bigger fix than it looks, but it is scheduled.
The site has no main landmark. For the same reason as above, if you navigate by landmarks, you won't find one. Headings still work.
The mobile menu needs JavaScript. On a narrow screen, the menu button won't open without it. The full navigation is available in the footer of every page as a fallback.
Nothing has been tested with a real screen reader by a real user. I have checked the code. That is not the same thing, and I know it.
Tell me when something doesn't work
This is the part I actually want from this page.
If something is hard to use, unclear, or simply doesn't work for you, please tell me. You don't need to be technical about it, and you don't need to justify it.
Email: hello@thehopeanthology.art
It helps if you can say which page you were on and what you were trying to do. If you are comfortable saying what device or assistive technology you were using, that helps too — but only if you want to.
I read these myself and I will reply.
If you need something in a different format
If there is something on this site you would like in another form — larger text, plain text, read aloud, or anything else — ask. I would rather find a way than have you go without.
This statement describes the site as it is, not as I would like it to be. It will be updated as things are fixed.
