Gardener Barbican Accessibility Commitment

We describe our approach to making the Gardener Barbican area and its online presence as usable as possible for everyone. This statement covers how our Barbican gardener resources, on-site facilities in the Barbican garden area, and digital materials aim to meet accessibility expectations. We prioritise inclusive design so visitors and residents in the Barbican community can access information and services without barriers.

Our accessibility goals align with WCAG 2.1 AA compliance standards and related best practices. We take a systematic approach: auditing content, remediating issues, and testing with assistive technologies. The efforts include ARIA landmarks, semantic HTML, and consistent heading structure to support navigation for those using screen readers and other assistive tools.

The Gardener at Barbican team focuses on practical, on-the-ground accessibility as well as accessible digital content. We ensure that signage and leaflet materials in the Barbican garden are legible, high contrast, and available in alternative formats on request. In digital content we provide clear headings, descriptive link text, and image descriptions to support screen-reader users and people with low vision.

Keyboard navigation is a core requirement across our web pages and information kiosks. Users can move through page areas using the Tab key, access menus and forms without relying on a mouse, and quickly reach key content sections. Our interactive widgets are operable with keyboard commands and follow predictable focus order so keyboard-only users have a reliable experience.

We maintain multiple layers of testing: automated checks, manual inspections, and usability tests with people who rely on assistive technology. For screen-reader support, pages are tested regularly with popular readers to ensure content reads in a logical, meaningful order. We also ensure ARIA attributes are used correctly where native semantics are insufficient.

To support people with varied needs in the Barbican garden area, we provide clear wayfinding and maintain accessible pathways for mobility devices. Our gardener teams use visual cues, tactile markers, and audible alerts where appropriate. The combination of physical accessibility improvements and accessible information supports a welcoming public space.

We publish an accessibility roadmap that highlights ongoing work to improve the accessibility of the Barbican gardening services and associated online content. This includes:

• regular updates to meet WCAG 2.1 AA requirements;
• continuous improvement of screen-reader compatibility;
• enhanced keyboard-only support and focus management.

Design choices emphasise clarity: plain language, consistent navigation, and meaningful alternatives for non-text content. We also provide scalable text and color contrast that meets or exceeds recommended contrast ratios to help visitors with low vision in the Barbican green space and on related web pages.

If you experience difficulty accessing any part of the Barbican gardener area information, our policy is to respond promptly. Please contact us through the designated accessibility contact option on this site or the published accessibility channel for the Barbican community. When you get in touch, tell us:

- the specific content or service you were trying to use,
- the accessibility problem you encountered, and
- the preferred format for receiving information (for example, large print, audio, or plain text).

We aim to acknowledge all accessibility requests quickly and to provide alternative access to information whenever possible. Our commitment includes staff training so that gardeners, front-line staff, and digital teams maintain sensitivity to accessibility needs and follow consistent procedures.

We review and update this statement as improvements are made and as standards evolve. Our approach to accessibility in the Barbican garden and related gardener services is practical and ongoing: we combine technical conformance with real-world accommodations to ensure people of all abilities can engage with, enjoy, and participate in the Barbican green spaces and online resources.