Web Accessibility
The Paul Mellon Centre is committed to providing an accessible website. This statement describes what we have already done to reduce barriers to accessing information on this platform, and outlines our plans for further improvement.
What we have done
We have followed the recommendations outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium in their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Implementation of this technical standard has ensured that our content is delivered in more accessible format to a wider range of people with disabilities.
As of July 2019 we refined and tested our website code and content against the WCAG 2.1 standard. We hope that you will find the site more accessible than previously, and invite feedback on any barriers you might encounter.
Alt text
As of March 2020 all images on the PMC website now have alt text descriptions, and we have committed to maintaining this with all future content.
Video captions
As of February 2020 all our videos on YouTube have subtitles. The presence of captions is visible in the video player configuration tools, and their display can be toggled on or off.
PDFs
As of August 2019 all PDFs and Word files on the website are now accessible, and we have committed to maintaining this with all future content.
Colour contrast on banners across the site
We were aware that the colour contrast on some banners across the site did not meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. We have reduced the number of images used in this way, and have ensured that those used meet minimum contrast ratios.
What we are working on
We know there are elements we still need to address. This is our plan:
Audio descriptions
We are investigating how and where to introduce audio descriptions of video content. We recognise that the addition of narration to the soundtrack of video content to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone would open up our content to new audiences. For the time being, we have introduced a video player that will support audio descriptions, and will continue to experiment on this front.
PMC Notes
We embed an interactive version of our printed newsletter, PMC Notes, on this site. The tool we use to provide this service does not provide an accessible alternative. We are working to find an accessible platform. In the meantime, if you would like an edition of PMC Notes in an accessible format please contact us and we can arrange for one to be produced.
Help using the website
To configure your browser and enhance your experience, please see the BBC's My Web My Way, which is a resource specifically designed to help users on a variety of platforms.
Who we worked with
In 2019 an independent audit was carried out by TetraLogical, whose recommendations were implemented by Keepthinking.
Contact us
If you find something you need that is inaccessible please contact our web team, webmaster@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk.