Accessibility statement for BeFloodWarned

This accessibility statement applies to befloodwarned.org.

This website is run by East Sussex County Council. 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
• zoom in up to 200% on web without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of 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 VoiceOver and NVDA)

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.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

• some interactive maps and charts are difficult to navigate using only a keyboard
• some embedded third-party components (Mapbox, Hydromaster, reCAPTCHA) may not fully meet accessibility standards
• some pages embed YouTube videos whose player controls cannot be reliably operated by keyboard alone — this is a known limitation of YouTube's embedded player

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact us.

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us.

We'll consider your request and get back to you.

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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

East Sussex County Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Screen reader navigation

• Some interactive elements, including maps, rainfall graphs, and area search features, are difficult to navigate using screen readers and may highlight off-screen elements. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.1.1 (Keyboard). We are investigating how to improve these components or provide accessible alternatives, such as text-based summaries of rainfall forecasts.
• On the Missy and Stanley page, screen reader focus within the Spot the Difference carousel may land on content rather than the section heading, and stat cards on the Story of the Data page announce their figure and label as separate utterances rather than a single unit. Fixes for these issues have been deployed and are awaiting final verification.

Focus order and keyboard navigation

• If a table is too wide to fit on the screen, the hidden information cannot be reached with a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).

Responsive design and text scaling

• Some text does not scale properly on mobile devices, and certain interface elements behave inconsistently across screen sizes. In particular, font scaling does not work correctly in the Safari browser, which may make it difficult for users to enlarge text using device accessibility settings. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.4 (Resize Text) and 1.4.10 (Reflow). We plan to improve responsive design, font scaling, and browser compatibility to meet mobile accessibility requirements.

Embedded video controls

• Some pages, including the Missy and Stanley page, embed videos using YouTube. After a few seconds of mouse inactivity, YouTube's player controls auto-hide and cannot be reliably re-summoned by keyboard alone — they only return on mouse movement. This is a known limitation of YouTube's embedded player and is not specific to this site. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.1.1 (Keyboard) and 2.4.7 (Focus Visible). We have added visible keyboard shortcut hints and screen reader announcements to assist users. In the meantime, users who need to access video controls can contact us for assistance.

Third-party content

• Some embedded third-party components, such as Mapbox, Hydromaster and reCAPTCHA, may not fully meet accessibility standards. These are outside of our control, but we are exploring accessible alternatives and providing supporting text where possible.

Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Third-party content that is not funded by, or under the control of, East Sussex County Council is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations. This includes the embedded YouTube video player, Mapbox mapping components, and reCAPTCHA verification.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are committed to making the BeFloodWarned website as accessible and usable as possible for everyone.

We are taking the following steps:

• conducting regular accessibility audits against WCAG 2.2 AA, using both automated tooling and manual testing with assistive technologies
• reviewing all focus, navigation, and interactive components to meet screen reader and keyboard accessibility standards
• updating text scaling, contrast, and responsive layouts to improve mobile usability
• ensuring that all images, icons, and decorative elements include appropriate alternative text
• testing interactive charts and maps to determine accessible alternatives
• honouring the prefers-reduced-motion operating system setting — when enabled, background video does not autoplay and decorative wave animations are suppressed, ensuring users who are sensitive to motion are not exposed to unnecessary animation
• embedding accessibility checks into our design and development process for all new content

We will update this statement as we address these issues and complete our testing.

Technologies this website relies on

This website relies on the following technologies to work with the combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• WAI-ARIA

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Browsers and assistive technologies supported

This website has been tested with the following combinations of web browser and assistive technology:

• Safari on macOS and iOS with VoiceOver
• Chrome on Windows with NVDA
• Chrome on macOS
• Firefox on Windows
• Edge on Windows

The website is designed to be compatible with recent versions of these browsers and assistive technologies. It may not work as expected with older browsers or assistive technology combinations not listed above.

How we tested this website

This website was tested by 3 Sided Cube on behalf of East Sussex County Council.

Testing was conducted using a combination of automated accessibility tools (including axe-core and Google Lighthouse) and manual checks with keyboard navigation and screen readers (VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, NVDA on Windows). The most frequently viewed pages and all interactive user journeys — including sign-up flows, interactive maps, educational activities, and form submissions — were included in testing.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 9 October 2025. It was last reviewed and updated on 8 June 2026.

This website was last tested on 8 June 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standard.

This statement was approved by 3 Sided Cube, the development partner responsible for building and maintaining the BeFloodWarned website on behalf of East Sussex County Council.