Accessibility Statement
We are committed to making our website as accessible as possible so every visitor can use it with ease.
Our Commitment
The Thalidomide Trust is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website and in doing so adhere to many of the available standards and guidelines.
Guidelines and Standards
We aim to ensure that this website conforms to level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. These guidelines are the internationally recognised benchmark on how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user friendly for all people.
We recognise that some pages do not yet meet the guidelines but we are in the process of identifying solutions and putting them in place. We will endeavour to constantly update the website with user-friendly and accessible content.
Using Our Website
It is possible to customise your computer, tablet or mobile phone to make it easier to use any website.
AbilityNet have produced “My Computer My Way”, a free resource to help you adapt your technology and improve all website accessibility.
The BBC’s “My web my way” resource also helps you to customise your computer, making the web easier to use.
These resources include help to:
- Change text size and font
- Magnify your screen
- Change text and background colour
- Use your keyboard instead of your mouse
- Access features for people with hearing difficulties
- Access features for people who are blind
BSL Users
The Thalidomide Trust provides key information with BSL translation and access to a BSL interpreting service for any beneficiary who is a BSL user.
Find out more about how to access BSL information and support.
Our Website Features Which Improve Accessibility and Usability
Accessible formats
Key information from our web pages is also available to download as PDF files throughout the website.
This information can also be accessed on our Factsheet pages:
- Health and Wellbeing Factsheets
- Resources For Beneficiaries (Login required)
Please note: Some of our older PDFs are not always fully accessible. If you find content that you cannot access, please contact us and we will endeavour to provide an alternative.
Accessible language
We aim to use plain English throughout our website which means no unnecessary jargon or text – just simple, useful information.
Alternative text for images
We are currently adding and improving alternative text (Alt Text) for images that provide useful information. This is seen by screen reader users. Decorative images will not have Alt Text.
Link text
When links are used in text we ensure that the link text describes the destination of the link, so that it is clear where you are being redirected to. Our links are also identifiable with an underline as well as different colour to the rest of the text.
Text and background colours
Our website aims to meet the recommended colour contrast ratios which makes text easier to read. We know that there are some colour combinations that need to be changed to achieve this, and we are currently working on this.
Text size
We are increasing the size and weight of text in some areas of our website to make it easier to read.
Video content
All videos on our website are hosted on YouTube and embedded in the page. From 2020 all videos produced will include names of the speakers on the screen as well as English subtitles.
Please note: Some of our older videos may not be fully accessible. If you find a video that you cannot access, please contact us and we will try to provide the visual content in alternative formats where possible.
Third party content
We sometimes use third party content, such as videos, to embed in our website pages. Where possible we will ensure these meet accessibility requirements.
Using the website with a keyboard
We are working on improving our website for use with a keyboard only.
Using a screen reader
We aim to make our website fully compatible with a screen reader. Where possible we will always test new content with a screen reader user.
Contact Information
We are continually working on ways to improve our website usability for everyone. If you experience any difficulty in accessing the Thalidomide Trust website, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Your feedback will help us improve for everyone.
You can reach us by:
Using our Contact Us page
Emailing us
Calling us on 01480 474074