PODatlas.co

Accessibility Statement

Last reviewed: 22 May 2026

This is the Accessibility Statement for PODatlas. It explains how accessible the site currently is, what I am aiming for, and how to get in touch if you hit a barrier.

I have written it in plain English. I have also tried to be honest about gaps rather than claim full conformance the site has not actually been audited against.

What I am aiming for

PODatlas aims to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. WCAG is the international standard used by UK public sector bodies under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. PODatlas is a private site and not strictly required to follow those regulations, but WCAG 2.1 AA is the right bar for any modern public-facing site, so that is the target.

The principles, in plain English:

  • Perceivable. Content should work even if you cannot see the screen or hear audio.
  • Operable. You should be able to use the site with a keyboard only, not just a mouse.
  • Understandable. Language and behaviour should be predictable.
  • Robust. The site should work in current and reasonably old assistive technologies, including screen readers.

Current state, honestly

PODatlas is a small, independent directory. I do most of the build and design myself, and I have not yet had a formal third-party accessibility audit. The site is built on Astro (static HTML, no client-side single-page-app shell), which gives a reasonable baseline for accessibility, but "reasonable baseline" is not the same as "audited and conformant".

Here is what I believe is in good shape today, and what I know is not:

In good shape

  • The site is fully static HTML and renders without JavaScript for almost all pages and content. If you turn JavaScript off, you can still read every listing.
  • Semantic HTML is used throughout: real headings, real links, real lists, real buttons. There is no <div onclick> masquerading as a button anywhere I am aware of.
  • Colour contrast on body text and primary UI is checked against WCAG AA at design time.
  • All listings have machine-readable structured data (JSON-LD) so search engines and assistive tools can parse the directory cleanly.
  • The site does not auto-play audio or video and does not flash or strobe.
  • Forms have visible labels associated with their inputs.

Known gaps

  • There has not yet been a formal WCAG 2.1 AA audit, manual or automated. The conformance claim above is a target, not a verified state.
  • Some images may be missing meaningful alt text. The data layer carries an alt text field but it is not populated for every record yet. Decorative images that are missing alt text are usually fine; informational ones missing alt text are not.
  • Some listing detail pages have dense filter chips and card grids that I have not yet verified are fully usable with a screen reader alone.
  • Focus styles are present but I have not yet audited every interactive element to confirm focus order is intuitive across the whole site.
  • I have not yet tested the site end-to-end with VoiceOver (macOS/iOS), NVDA (Windows), or TalkBack (Android).

I plan to close these gaps over time. When I do, I will update this page and note the change in the newsletter.

How to report an accessibility problem

If you hit a barrier on PODatlas, please tell me. Email legal@podatlas.co and include:

  • the URL of the page where you hit the problem
  • a short description of what went wrong
  • the assistive technology (if any) and browser you were using

I will respond within a few working days. If the fix is small — missing alt text, a contrast issue, a broken focus state — I will usually ship it that week. Larger structural changes will take longer; I will tell you the rough timeline.

There is no formal complaints procedure, because PODatlas is run by one person. If you are unhappy with my response, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk (for accessibility issues that touch personal data) or take it up under the Equality Act 2010.

Preparation of this statement

This statement was prepared on 22 May 2026 based on a self-assessment of the site. It has not been independently verified.

The next formal review is targeted for the next major release of the directory.

Browsers and assistive technology supported

PODatlas is tested in current versions of:

  • Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop
  • Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android

The site should work in older browsers but the visual design will be simpler.

It should work with the major screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS, TalkBack), but as noted above, end-to-end screen-reader testing is not yet complete.

Last reviewed

22 May 2026.