Web Accessibility Policy

Growing Different aims to make our website, growingdifferent.org.uk is asvaccessible and user-friendly as possible, regardless of ability or technology access. This policy explains the measures we take to make our website accessible and inclusive.

Accessibility Standards

Our website aspires to achieve the Level AA website accessibility standards outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.

 

Key Features for Accessibility

Layout

• The website uses Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to structure and style content, ensuring compatibility with most assistive technologies.

Images

• Graphics and images are provided with alternative text (alt text) where this is needed to describe their content or function.

Links

• Links are visually distinct and a different color.

Downloads

• Publications and downloadable materials are provided in accessible formats, typically as Adobe PDFs. We are currently reviewing PDF accessibility standards to improve usability.

Text

• Content is written clearly and concisely, using language suited to the audience.

• Fonts are designed for readability, with line spacing and lengths optimized for ease of reading.

• Pages are structured with headings and subheadings to enhance navigation for screen readers.

• Users can resize text through browser settings to meet their needs.

Colour Contrast

Colours are chosen with contrast and readability in mind, including for people with visual impairments or colour vision differences.

• We aim to meet or exceed the WCAG 2.2 AA recommended contract ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text.

 

Navigation Features

Consistent Navigation

• Navigation menus are consistent across the website for intuitive use.

• Labels include ARIA attributes to provide additional context for screen readers, e.g., “Read More about hyperlexia.”

Skip Links

• Users can skip directly to main content with ‘Skip Links’, improving efficiency for keyboard and screen-reader users.

Homepage Access

• The Growing Different logo, located at the top center of every page, serves as a quick link back to the homepage.

Search Functionality

• A search bar allows users to find specific content easily.

Keyboard Navigation

• The website is designed so that navigation, links and forms can be used with a keyboard.

 

Assistive Technology

Text-to-Speech

Most computers and devices have built-in text-to-speech capabilities. Follow this guide for instructions. The website is designed to work with commonly used screen readers and text-to-speech tools.

Please note that using automated summariser or translation tools may affect the accuracy of the information presented here.

Video and Audio

• Videos and audio content are not autoplayed to avoid disruption.

• Transcripts and subtitles are provided wherever possible.

Forms

• Forms include clearly labeled fields.

• Forms support TAB navigation, allowing users to move forward and backward through fields using the TAB and SHIFT-TAB keys.

Accessibility Plugin

• Our accessibility plugin provides features such as font resizing and high-contrast mode.

Further Assistance

If you encounter any issues using our website, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve accessibility.

Policy Updates

• Created: April 2023

• Last Reviewed: November 2025

• Standards Used:W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2

We are committed to reviewing and updating this policy regularly to maintain and improve the accessibility of our website.

Language Choices

We recognise that language can shape perceptions and attitudes. Our intention is to write in a way that is respectful of people. We use the terms ‘neurodivergent people’ or ‘people with neurodevelopmental conditions or differences’.  We recognise that the word ‘condition’ can have negative connotations, and have decided to update the term to differences. There is no one umbrella term that has consensus that includes the full range of neurodevelopmental differences, such as Down’s syndrome and autism. We recognise that language is continually evolving and will update accordingly if needed.

The word ‘typically developing’ or neurotypical is used for populations without neurodevelopmental conditions or neurodivergence. We refer to the social model of identity first when this is recommended. We use ‘disabled person’ or ‘autistic person’. Sometimes a person-first may be used; e.g. person with epilepsy. 

We use recommendations on terminology from: National Autistic Society; ADHD Foundation; SCOPE Equality for Disabled People; UK Government Guidance on Inclusive Language; a discussion on neurodiversity at the Royal College of Psychiatrists ; definition of terms from Scotland’s National Autism Implementation Team (Cambridge University Press) and MENCAP.