Media Grid UK is committed to making its website, mediagriduk.uk, accessible to all users in line with WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards and the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882), enforceable from 28 June 2025, as well as UK good practice. This accessibility statement applies to the main editorial site and is maintained by Sliema Media Limited (registered in Malta, company number C 84217, registered office: Level 3, Tower Business Centre, Tower Street, Swatar, Birkirkara BKR 4013, Malta), the publisher of Media Grid UK. Editorial oversight rests with Editor‑in‑Chief Jonathan Pierce (jonathan.pierce@mediagriduk.uk, +44 20 4587 9486), who is responsible for accessibility commitments alongside our technical team.
Who is responsible for accessibility at Media Grid UK?
Jonathan Pierce, Editor-in-Chief of Media Grid UK, has overall responsibility for accessibility standards across the site. Day‑to‑day coordination of accessibility improvements is handled by Oliver Reeves, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead (oliver.reeves@mediagriduk.uk, +44 20 4587 9491), who works with our technical and editorial teams. Any accessibility‑related queries should be directed to accessibility@mediagriduk.uk.
What accessibility standards do we follow?
We aim to conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA, the European standard EN 301 549, and the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882). Our conformance target is WCAG 2.2 Level AA. We regularly review our site against these criteria and test with assistive technologies including screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), speech recognition software, and keyboard‑only navigation.
How are we working to improve accessibility?
Accessibility is an ongoing process at Media Grid UK. We conduct internal audits, user testing with people who have disabilities, and external reviews. Our editorial team receives training on creating accessible content – for example, writing meaningful link text, providing alt text for images, and using clear heading structures. Technical improvements are scheduled as part of our development cycle, and we prioritise fixes based on user impact. We also consult guidance from the UK government’s Editorial Policy on inclusive digital publishing.
What accessibility features are available on our site?
We have implemented several features to support users with disabilities:
- Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements – links, buttons, forms – can be reached and operated using a keyboard alone. Focus indicators are clearly visible.
- Contrast and colour: Text and background colour combinations meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA contrast ratios. We avoid conveying information purely through colour.
- Reduced motion: Users who set their operating system or browser to prefer reduced motion will see limited or no animations.
- Text resizing: The site is designed to allow text enlargement up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
- Semantic HTML: We use proper heading hierarchies (
h1–h6), lists, and landmark regions to assist screen reader navigation.
What are the known limitations?
Some third‑party embedded content – such as social media widgets, interactive charts from external providers, and certain advertising formats – may not be fully accessible. We encourage users to report specific issues so that we can work with suppliers to improve compatibility. Older articles published before June 2024 may contain images without complete alt text; we are gradually remediating these. If you encounter a barrier, please let us know.
How can you report an accessibility problem?
We welcome feedback. To report an accessibility problem or request an alternative format, email accessibility@mediagriduk.uk. You may also use our general contact form at Contact or submit a formal complaint via our Complaints Procedure. All reports are acknowledged within two working days and investigated by Oliver Reeves or a designated team member. We aim to resolve issues within 10 working days or provide a clear timeline. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may escalate to the UK Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) or the relevant national enforcement body under the European Accessibility Act.
Our commitments
- Maintain WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance across all new content and features published after June 2025.
- Respond to every accessibility report within two working days and provide a resolution or update within 10 working days.
- Conduct an annual independent accessibility audit and publish a summary of findings on this page.
- Ensure all editorial staff complete accessibility‑awareness training by the end of 2025.
- Remediate known accessibility issues in existing articles, prioritising those with the highest user impact, by December 2026.
This statement was prepared on 1 June 2025 and will be reviewed and updated at least once a year. For further information about our editorial standards, see our Editorial Policy and Contact page.