Accessibility Statement

This website is run by the RNLI. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to: 

  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard 
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of NVDA and VoiceOver) 

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. 

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

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible: 

  • Some text overlaps or is cut off when resized to 200%. 
  • On Step pages, some side navigation does not have sufficient contrast. 
  • Videos do not have a transcript. 
  • Videos do not have audio description.
  • Child items in the main menu and video controls cannot be accessed with a keyboard, or with a screen reader and keyboard.  
  • Some links, buttons and video controls do not have a focus state.  
  • Some hover states are only indicated by a change of colour. 
  • Headings are not marked up or structured correctly on some pages. 
  • On some pages there are links without a text alternative. 
  • When using a screen reader some links are hard to distinguish, especially in an elements list. 
  • When using VoiceOver on mobile, the search field is only in focus after swiping through the menu, even if the search icon is activated. 
  • When using VoiceOver on mobile, focus is sent to the top of the page if a full screen video is closed. 
  • When using VoiceOver on mobile, the submenu in the main menu opens on focus; when table headers are in focus, the viewport moves to the top of the page. 
  • Some element IDs are not unique. 

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website 

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille: 

Reporting accessibility problems with this website 

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: [email protected] 

Technical information about this website’s accessibility 

The RNLI is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. 

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below. 

Non accessible content 

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons. 

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations 

  • Videos do not have a transcript. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 1.2.3 (Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)). 
  • Videos do not have audio description. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 1.2.5 (Audio Description (Prerecorded)). 
  • Headings are not marked up or structured correctly on some pages. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.1 (Parsing). 
  • Some hover states are only indicated by a change of colour. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Color). 
  • On Step pages, some side navigation does not have sufficient contrast. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)). 
  • Some text overlaps or is cut off when resized to 200%. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 1.4.4 (Resize text). 
  • Child items in the main menu and video controls cannot be accessed with a keyboard, or with a screen reader and keyboard. This fails success criterion WCAG 2.0 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
  • When using VoiceOver on mobile, the search field is only in focus after swiping through the menu, even if the search icon is activated. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order). 
  • When using a screen reader some links are hard to distinguish, especially in an elements list. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)). 
  • On some pages there are links without a text alternative. This fails WCAG2.0 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)). 
  • Some links, buttons and video controls do not have a focus state. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible). 
  • When using VoiceOver on mobile, the submenu in the main menu opens on focus; when table headers are in focus, the viewport moves to the top of the page. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 3.2.1 (On Focus). 
  • When using VoiceOver on mobile, focus is sent to the top of the page if a full screen video is closed. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 3.2.2 (On Input). 
  • Some element IDs are not unique. This fails WCAG 2.0 success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing). 

How we tested this website 

This website was last tested in November 2022. The test was carried out by the RNLI Digital Experience Team. 

We included pages in the main user journeys covering as much functionality as possible in our sample.  

We tested: 

  • our campaign microsite, available at https://enddrowning.org 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

This statement was prepared on 20th January 2023. It was last updated on 20th January 2023.