Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Discover Darwen website at
discoverdarwen.co.uk.

This website is run by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. We want as many
people as possible to be able to use this website, regardless of technology,
ability or circumstance.

Using this website

We have designed the website so that visitors should be able to:

• zoom in by up to 400% without text becoming unreadable or spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• use the website with modern screen-reading software
• change colours, contrast levels, text size and fonts using browser or device settings
• understand the website content using clear headings, labels and link text
• access essential information without relying only on colour

Accessibility tools

An optional accessibility toolbar is available from the accessibility button
in the bottom-right corner of the website.

The toolbar includes options to:

• increase or decrease text size
• apply a high-contrast display
• display the website in greyscale
• use a more readable font
• increase text and line spacing
• underline links
• reduce animation and movement
• read supported page text and controls aloud using the browser’s built-in speech features
• use a reading guide that highlights a horizontal reading area and softens the content outside it
• use a larger white or black mouse cursor on supported desktop and pointer-based devices

The read-aloud option is provided as a supplementary reading aid. The voice,
pronunciation and availability of this feature may vary depending on the
browser, operating system and device. It is not intended to replace dedicated
screen-reading software.

Large-cursor options are intended for devices that use a mouse or other precise
pointer. They may be hidden or unavailable on touch-only devices where a mouse
cursor is not used.

Your selected settings are remembered on your device. The toolbar is provided
as an additional convenience and is not intended to replace the accessibility
settings built into your browser, device or assistive technology.

How accessible this website is

The website has been designed and developed with the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard in mind.

We know that some parts of the website may not yet be fully accessible. These
are described below.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard because of the known issues listed below.

Non-accessible content

Images and alternative text

Some historical, imported or editor-managed images may not yet have appropriate
alternative text. Some image descriptions may also need further review to
ensure that they communicate the purpose of the image clearly.

This may not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1, Non-text Content.

We are reviewing image content and will add or improve alternative text where
it is required. Decorative images will continue to use empty alternative text
so that they are ignored by screen-reading software.

Documents

Some older PDF documents, downloadable files or documents supplied by third
parties may not be fully accessible to screen-reading software.

These documents may contain issues such as missing headings, an incorrect
reading order, inaccessible tables, insufficient colour contrast or missing
document titles.

Where an inaccessible document contains essential information, you can contact
us to request the information in an alternative format.

Third-party content and services

Some features provided by third parties, such as external booking systems,
social media content, mapping services or embedded media, may not meet every
part of the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

Where possible, important information from these services is also provided as
normal page content, including written event, location and contact information.

Historical and editor-managed content

Some older or imported content may contain heading structures, link descriptions
or formatting that needs further accessibility review.

We are reviewing this content as pages are updated and will prioritise pages
containing essential visitor information.

Video and audio content

Some historical or third-party video content may not include captions, a
transcript or audio description.

We aim to provide captions or an equivalent written description for new video
content where spoken or visual information is needed to understand it.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

Accessibility has been considered throughout the design and development of the
current Discover Darwen website.

Work completed includes:

• keyboard-accessible navigation, menus, filters and interactive controls
• visible keyboard focus states
• responsive page layouts that support browser zoom and text resizing
• semantic headings, page landmarks and labelled controls
• colour combinations selected with contrast in mind
• text alternatives for important visual information
• reduced-motion support
• written alternatives to important map and location information
• an optional accessibility toolbar with display, reading-guide, read-aloud and large-cursor controls

Accessibility will remain part of our ongoing content, design and development
process. New content should be reviewed before publication, and existing
content will be updated as issues are identified.

We aim to complete the next review of priority content by
28 December 2026.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that fixing any known accessibility issue would
be a disproportionate burden.

Content outside the scope of the accessibility regulations

Some older documents published before 23 September 2018 may be exempt from the
accessibility regulations where they are not essential to providing a current
service.

Third-party content that is not funded, developed or controlled by Blackburn
with Darwen Borough Council may also fall outside the scope of the regulations.
We will still work to provide accessible alternatives where it is practical
and useful to do so.

Feedback and contact information

We welcome feedback about the accessibility of the Discover Darwen website.
Please contact us if:

• you find an accessibility problem that is not listed on this page
• you think we are not meeting accessibility requirements
• you need information from this website in a different format

Alternative formats may include accessible PDF, large print, easy read, an
audio recording or braille.

Email:
info@discoverdarwen.co.uk

When reporting a problem, please include the address of the page, a description
of the problem, and details of the browser, device or assistive technology you
were using where possible.

We aim to acknowledge accessibility enquiries within
5 working days.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the
Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility
Regulations.

If you are not satisfied with how we respond to your accessibility complaint,
you can contact the

Equality Advisory and Support Service
.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 28 July 2026.

It was last reviewed on 5 August 2026.

This website was last reviewed against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
version 2.2 AA standard on 28 July 2026.

The review was carried out by Pink Dog Media
using a representative sample of pages and functionality.

The review included:

• manual keyboard navigation
• browser zoom and responsive reflow checks
• colour contrast checks
• heading, landmark and form-label checks
• automated accessibility testing
• screen-reader testing on selected pages and interactive features