Accessibility Statement

We believe that everyone deserves equal access to information about their potential benefit entitlements, regardless of ability or disability. Many of the people who use Benefits Robin have health conditions, disabilities, or age-related needs, and we take our responsibility to serve these users seriously.

We aim to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. These guidelines are the internationally recognised standard for web accessibility and cover a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

We have taken the following steps to ensure our website is accessible:

Perceivable

• Text alternatives: All meaningful images have descriptive alternative text. Decorative images are marked appropriately so screen readers skip them.
• Colour contrast: We maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, meeting WCAG AA requirements.
• Resizable text: All text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
• Content structure: We use semantic HTML with proper heading hierarchy (h1, h2, h3) to help screen reader users navigate content efficiently.
• No colour-only information: We do not rely on colour alone to convey information. All colour-coded elements include text labels or icons.

Operable

• Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields) are accessible via keyboard. You can navigate the entire site using Tab, Enter, and arrow keys.
• Focus indicators: Visible focus indicators are provided for all interactive elements to help keyboard users identify where they are on the page.
• No time limits: Our eligibility checker has no time limits. You can take as long as you need to complete each step, and your progress is saved automatically.
• Skip navigation: A skip-to-content link is provided so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation menus.
• No flashing content: We do not use any content that flashes more than three times per second.

Understandable

• Plain language: We write in clear, plain English. We avoid jargon and explain technical terms where they are necessary.
• Consistent navigation: Navigation is consistent across all pages, so you always know where you are and how to get to where you want to be.
• Error identification: Form errors are clearly identified with descriptive error messages that explain what went wrong and how to fix it.
• Labels and instructions: All form fields have clear labels and, where necessary, additional instructions or helper text.

Robust

• Valid HTML: We use valid, semantic HTML to ensure compatibility with current and future assistive technologies.
• ARIA attributes: Where necessary, we use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to provide additional context for assistive technologies.
• Browser compatibility: Our website is tested across major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and their built-in accessibility features.

Our website is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:

• Screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack)
• Screen magnification software
• Speech recognition software (Dragon NaturallySpeaking)
• Keyboard-only navigation
• High contrast mode and custom colour settings
• Text-to-speech tools built into browsers and operating systems

We use a combination of methods to assess and maintain the accessibility of our website:

• Automated testing: We use automated accessibility testing tools to identify common issues across all pages.
• Manual testing: We conduct manual keyboard and screen reader testing on key user journeys, including the eligibility checker, results pages, and application forms.
• User testing: We seek feedback from users with disabilities and users of assistive technologies to identify real-world accessibility issues.
• Regular reviews: We review our accessibility compliance regularly and whenever significant changes are made to the website.

If you encounter any accessibility issues while using Benefits Robin, or if you need information in an alternative format, please contact us:

We take all accessibility reports seriously and aim to respond within 2 working days. We will investigate the issue and, where possible, provide a fix or workaround.

If you are not satisfied with our response to an accessibility issue, you can contact the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS):

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018.