Accessibility at The Grand Guild
This statement applies to www.thegrandguild.com. It sets out how accessible this website is, how we built it, what we know is not yet right, and how to tell us if something is wrong.
Our commitment
We design and build websites for a living. We hold our own site to the same standard we sell, which means anyone should be able to read it, navigate it and buy from it, whatever device or assistive technology they use.
We treat accessibility as part of the build rather than a later pass. Every website we deliver is built to the same standard described here, and we can evidence that in procurement.
Conformance status
This website has been designed and built to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 at level AA.
The site meets the level AA success criteria on every measure we have verified. Substantially conformant means some parts of the site have not yet been tested with assistive technology, and some content is supplied by third parties. Those exceptions are listed below rather than left unsaid.
We also build to EN 301 549, the European accessibility standard referenced in UK public sector procurement, and we meet our duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
What we have done
Specific measures, so you can check them rather than take our word for it.
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1.4.3
Contrast
Every text colour was calculated against every background it sits on. Body text meets 4.5 to 1 or better. Large text and the boundaries of interactive controls meet 3 to 1 or better.
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1.4.4
Text scaling
Text resizes to 200% without loss of content or function. Body text is never set below 14 pixels. Small uppercase labels are set at 13 with wide letter spacing, which reads larger than its nominal size. Layouts use fluid measures rather than fixed heights.
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1.4.10
Reflow
The site is usable at 320 pixels wide with no horizontal scrolling. Wide tables become stacked cards rather than a sideways scroll.
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1.4.12
Text spacing
Increased line height, letter spacing and word spacing can be applied without text being clipped or overlapping.
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2.1.1
Keyboard operation
Every control is a real button or link, so all functions are available from the keyboard. Nothing depends on a mouse or a hover.
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2.1.2
No keyboard traps
Dialogs and drawers hold focus while open, close on Escape, and return focus to whatever opened them.
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2.2.2
Moving content
All animation, including the scrolling offer bar and the moving image rows, stops when the operating system reduced-motion preference is set. No content moves on its own for those users.
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2.4.1
Skipping navigation
A skip link is the first thing in the tab order on every page, landing on the main content region.
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2.4.6
Headings and structure
One first-level heading per page, no levels skipped, and proper navigation, main and footer regions.
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2.4.7
Visible focus
A clear focus ring is shown on any element reached by keyboard, with enough contrast to be seen on both light and dark backgrounds.
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3.3.2
Form labels
Every field, dropdown and slider has an accessible name, so it is announced correctly rather than relying on placeholder text that vanishes on typing.
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1.1.1
Images and icons
Meaningful images carry text alternatives. Decorative icons are hidden from assistive technology so they are not read out as unlabelled graphics.
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1.4.1
Not colour alone
No information is conveyed by colour on its own. Ticks, words and position carry the meaning as well.
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3.1.1
Language
The page language is declared as English (United Kingdom), so screen readers use the correct pronunciation.
What is not fully accessible yet
We would rather list these than claim a clean sheet. Each one has a plan against it.
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Not yet tested with screen readers
Our assessment was made by inspecting and measuring the site. We have not yet run it with JAWS, NVDA or VoiceOver, so we cannot claim how it sounds in practice.
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Checkout is provided by Shopify
Payment is taken on Shopify’s own checkout, which we do not control and cannot modify. Shopify publishes its own accessibility conformance report.
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Product video has no captions
Video on the site is silent product footage with no speech or audio information, so captions would carry nothing. Each video has a text alternative and a still image. Any future video with narration will be captioned before it is published.
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Some downloadable documents
Older policy documents and brochures may not be fully tagged for screen readers. Ask us and we will supply the content in an accessible format.
Tell us if something is wrong
If you cannot use part of this site, or you need something in a different format, contact us and we will put it right. Tell us the page and what happened, and we will reply within five working days.
If you are not happy with our response
We are a service provider under the Equality Act 2010. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your complaint, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service, which supports people on equality and human rights issues in England, Scotland and Wales.
How we tested this site
This statement was prepared on 3 September 2026 and reflects a self-assessment carried out on that date. We tested the whole site rather than a sample.
Testing covered colour contrast ratios against every background in use, text scaling to 200%, reflow at 320 pixels, keyboard-only operation of every control, dialog focus behaviour, heading structure, form field naming, and reduced-motion preferences. Contrast values were calculated rather than estimated.
An independent audit including screen reader testing is planned. We will update this statement and its date when that is complete, and we review it at least once a year.