Accessibility statement for the Royal Armouries website

The Royal Armouries is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This statement applies to the Royal Armouries main website: https://royalarmouries.org/

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.

Downloadable documents (PDFs, Word documents)

Some documents are not accessible because they:

lack correct tagging
do not follow a logical reading order
do not have text alternatives for images
may not be compatible with assistive technology

This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria including 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 1.1.1 Non-text Content, and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

We are reviewing and updating documents as part of ongoing work. 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 WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.5 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.

Producing audio description for some historic video content would be a disproportionate burden due to:

exceptionally high cost of describing large volumes of archive footage
technical limitations of some third-party hosting platforms
missing or inaccessible source files preventing re-editing

We will review these decisions regularly.

A list of the affected videos and reasons will be published here once finalised.

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.

If you need information on this website in an alternative format such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us:

Email: communications@armouries.org.uk
Telephone: 0113 220 1916

We aim to respond within 7 working days.

If you find any problems not listed here or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us using the details above.

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

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations.
If you are not satisfied with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).