Accessibility statement for the Royal Armouries website

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

The following content is not accessible for the reasons described.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Downloadable documents (PDFs, Word documents)

Some documents are not accessible because they fail WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:

• lack document titles WCAG 2.4.2 Page titled
• lack tagging of tables, rows, and columns WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
• do not have text alternatives for images WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text content
• do not follow a logical reading order WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence and WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order 
• may not be compatible with assistive technology 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

We are reviewing and updating documents as part of ongoing work and where possible will be converting these to HTML pages. Alternative formats can be provided on request.

Interactive exhibition: Up Close

This feature is hosted on a third-party platform and is not fully compatible with screen reader software or keyboard navigation.

This may fail WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.1.1 Keyboard, 2.4.3 Focus Order, and 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Videos published after 23 September 2020

Some videos do not yet include audio description. This fails  the success criterion of WCAG 2.21.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded).

We have a prioritised programme of work to address this backlog.

Pre-recorded videos published before 23 September 2020

These videos do not require audio description under the regulations.

Where possible, we will update or replace them during content reviews.

We believe that fully remediating our entire historic video archive with audio description immediately would be a disproportionate burden due to the volume of content. We have a 5-year plan to add audio description to our most important assets and can provide accessible alternatives on request.

Royal Armouries Disproportionate Burden Assessment - 2026 (pdf, 228.98 KB)

We are taking the following steps to improve accessibility:

• reviewing and remediating documents to meet accessibility standards
• ensuring all newly created documents and videos are fully accessible
• training staff and content creators in WCAG 2.2 AA requirements
• testing new features and content before they are released
• monitoring third-party services and raising accessibility issues with vendors

We expect this work to continue throughout future development cycles.

This statement was prepared on 19 February 2018.
It was last reviewed on 25 November 2025.

This website was last technically tested by Numiko Ltd on 18 August 2023.
We carry out ongoing internal testing using automated tools and manual checks with assistive technologies.