Accessibility statement
This is a legal statement about our commitment to digital accessibility.
RIBA is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to the main RIBA website, www.architecture.com
This website is run by RIBA. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- navigate the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, 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.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and the exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:
Alternative text is for images not always present
Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
We are in the process of fixing this, alongside new regulation (and new implementation on the new platform in 2025).
Colour contrast
Certain colour backgrounds behind text, navigation breadcrumbs, and event date/time headings in abstract do not meet the minimum contrast ratio of 4:5:1. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (contrast).
We will be amending this during our 2025 platform change.
Text in images
We are aware some images on the site contain text that is not also transcribed. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.5 (images of text).
We have enforced stricter policies which has ended use of images like this, but some historical images may remain that have not been updated. These will be eliminated during our 2025 platform change.
No skip to/jump links
Repeated content (such as the website header) and long form content are not currently able to be skipped. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (bypass blocks).
We are considering implementation of this on the new platform in 2025.
Zoom on mobile devices
Zooming and scaling the webpages on mobile devices is not currently possible. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (resize text).
We are implementing this when we move to a new platform in 2025.
Incorrect or missing labelling
There are some incorrectly labelled in metadata for images and buttons. For example, the social media logo links in the website footer. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
We are in the process of identifying and resolving these.
PDFs do not fit current accessible design standards
We are aware of the issue of PDFs not being accessible. We are introducing stronger regulation of documents available on architecture.com.
We are also highlighting the importance of accessible information with the teams that produce and handle these documents.
All PDFs that have not been converted to html web pages once we move to a new platform in 2025 will have an alternative format available. These will be in either Open Document Text (.ODT) or Microsoft Word (.DOCX).
Content is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Non-accessible PDFs uploaded before September 23 2018
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
We are introducing stronger regulation going forwards around documents uploaded to architecture.com
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are working on stricter regulation of content being added to the site, to ensure WCAG 2.1 AA standards are met. Some examples of this are:
- planning updates to auto generated captions for video content where they are used instead of burned in captioning
- enforcing stronger regulations on file and image content, and providing training where necessary to create accessible files
- stopping the use of certain interface component styles that do not meet the minimum contrast ratio of 4:5:1
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was first prepared on 24 June 2024, and was last updated 17 December 2024.
The main architecture.com website was tested using Silktide and Axe DevTool. Additional manual testing where necessary was carried out by RIBA’s content team.
The latest test took place on 13 December 2024 against the WCAG AA 2.1 guidelines.
We intend to monitor the website’s accessibility regularly by using accessibility checking software every 6 months.
Feedback and contact information
If you need an accessible format version of any content on this website or to report any web accessibility compliance failures, please contact: inclusionanddiversity@riba.org
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).
If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
