Accessibility Statement – Barretstown
Last updated: 16 April 2026
Next review due: April 2027
This Accessibility Statement applies to the website https://barretstown.org/. Barretstown is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We design, develop, and review our website with accessibility in mind and pursue continuous improvement as standards evolve and as we receive feedback.
Standards
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA across our website. See: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
Scope
This statement covers the public website at:
It includes core pages and user journeys on the site (for example: navigation, content pages, contact/enquiry, and the donation journey). Where parts of the website include third‑party services (for example donation/payment providers, embedded forms, maps, video players, cookie banners, or social widgets), these are noted under “Third‑party content”.
Compliance status
As of the date above, this website is Partially Compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA due to the non‑accessible content and limitations listed below. We are prioritising improvements by user impact and frequency.
Non-accessible content and reasons
Non-compliance with WCAG (to be remediated)
- Some interactive elements may have occasional issues with accessible names/roles/states or announcement of status updates (WCAG 1.2 and 4.1.3). These are addressed as identified during ongoing review.
- Some pages and templates require continued manual verification for keyboard-only operation, focus visibility, screen reader behaviour, and form error handling across all templates and components (WCAG 1.1, 2.4.7, 1.3.1, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3). Manual testing is being completed as part of ongoing assessment.
Documents (PDFs and downloads)
- Some PDFs linked from the website (including research outputs such as conference posters, presentations, or papers) may not yet be fully accessible to screen reader users (for example missing PDF tags/structure, reading order, or alternative text for figures).
What we’re doing: We are working to remediate high‑priority documents and/or provide accessible HTML alternatives over time.
Support in the meantime: If you need any document in an alternative format, contact us and we will provide an accessible version within 5 business days where reasonably possible (see “Requesting information in an accessible format”).
Third‑party content (outside our full control)
- The website may include third‑party services to support key functions such as donation/payment processing and embedded media. While we aim to choose accessible suppliers and configure these services accessibly, we may not be able to guarantee full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance in all third‑party components. If you encounter a barrier while donating or using third‑party content, please contact us and we will provide an alternative way to complete the task.
Video Content (Homepage)
Issue: The background video on the homepage plays automatically and does not currently feature a manual ‘Pause’ or ‘Stop’ control.
WCAG Success Criterion: This fails WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide), which requires a mechanism for the user to pause moving or scrolling content that lasts longer than five seconds.
Impact: This may be distracting for users with cognitive or neurodivergent conditions, or cause discomfort for users with vestibular (inner ear) disorders.
Action Plan: We are exploring technical solutions to add a pause control in a future update. In the meantime, if the motion causes you difficulty, please contact us at info@barretstown.org and we can provide the information from the homepage in a static, text-based format.
Measures we take
We aim to:
- Use semantic HTML with clear headings, labels, and landmarks.
- Maintain sufficient colour contrast and visible focus indicators.
- Support keyboard operability for navigation, menus, and forms.
- Provide meaningful link text (including indicating when a link is a PDF where appropriate).
- Support zoom/reflow up to 400% where practical for responsive layouts.
- Improve PDFs and downloadable content, and provide alternatives on request.
- Review accessibility as part of ongoing website updates and content publishing.
Technical specifications
Accessibility of this website relies on:
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WAI‑ARIA (where appropriate)
Assessment approach (“Preparation of this statement”)
This statement was prepared following a self‑assessment supported by:
- Automated testing using the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
- Manual verification of key user journeys, including:
- Navigation and menus (desktop and mobile)
- Reading and navigating content pages (headings, links, images)
- Contact / enquiry forms (including validation and error messages)
- Donation journey (including key steps such as form entry, validation, and confirmation where applicable)
- Research outputs / downloads (including PDF links)
We review this statement at least annually and after significant site changes.
Feedback and reporting accessibility problems
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our website. If you find any accessibility issues not listed above or believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us:
- Email: info@barretstown.org
- Phone: +353 45 863100
- Postal address:
Barretstown
Barretstown Castle
Ballymore Eustace
Kildare
Ireland
W91 RDX 6
Requesting information in an accessible format
If you need information on this website in an alternative format (for example accessible PDF, large print, audio, or easy‑to‑read), please contact us using the details above.
Please include (if you can):
- The page URL or document name
- The format you need
- The assistive technology you use (optional)
Service level: We aim to acknowledge requests within 1 business day and provide an accessible alternative within 5 business days, where reasonably possible.
Complaints and escalation (private organisation)
As a private sector organisation, the statutory enforcement route for public bodies via the Office of the Ombudsman under the Disability Act 2005 does not apply to our website. However, we take accessibility complaints seriously and will work with you to resolve issues.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may seek independent advice regarding your rights and potential avenues for redress, such as the National Disability Authority (NDA) for guidance or the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for matters under the Equal Status Acts.
Helpful references: