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Accessibility

At Wales & West Utilities we are committed to ensuring that our website is accessible, inclusive and easy to use for everyone. We aim to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA standards across our digital services and continually review and improve our site to maintain compliance.

To support a wide range of access needs, we provide the Recite Me Assistive Toolbar, enabling visitors to customise their website experience through reading support, language translation, visual adjustments, and a range of cognitive and motor‑access tools.

For further information about using the Recite Me Tool please click here for the Recite Me User Guide

Using Recite Me for an Accessible Experience

Users can open the Recite Me toolbar using the Accessibility & Language Support button at the top of every page. This tool provides the following range of WCAG‑aligned customisation options:

Language & Reading Support (Supporting WCAG 2.2: Understandable content, adaptability for cognitive needs)

  • Translation of content into 100+ languages, with text‑to‑speech available for many languages    
  • Read-aloud functionality with adjustable voice and speed
  •       Built‑in dictionary and picture dictionary

Visual Adjustments  (Supporting WCAG 2.2: Adaptable presentation for low-vision users)

  •      Increase or decrease text size
  •      Change fonts, including accessible font options
  •      Modify line spacing, word spacing and letter spacing
  •      Apply high‑contrast colour themes
  •      Use “text‑only” mode to remove visual clutter

Focus & Reading Tools (Supporting WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.13: Focus Appearance)

  •      Screen mask and reading ruler to support concentration
  •      Highlighted focus elements

Input & Motor Accessibility (Supporting WCAG 2.2: Dragging Movements, Target Size)

  •      Keyboard‑friendly features
  •      Tools requiring no dragging or fine motor movement

Content Extraction

  •      Convert text into audio (MP3 download)
  •      Simplified reading view for easier comprehension
  •      Create a distraction-free view of page content

Documents and Downloads

Some information is provided in PDF or other document formats. Most devices support these formats natively, but if required, users can download additional software including a free PDF reader is available from Adobe at: https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader

We are working to ensure that all newly published documents meet WCAG 2.2 accessibility requirements, including structured tagging, correct reading order, accessible tables and descriptive hyperlinks.

Our commitment to a better digital user experience

We design and maintain our website to meet high accessibility standards using the following principles:

  •      Perceivable: Clear structure, text alternatives for non‑text content, adaptable presentation and strong colour contrast
  •      Operable: Fully usable with a keyboard, clear focus indicators, no reliance on drag movements, adequate target sizes
  •      Understandable: Clear language, consistent navigation and input assistance
  •      Robust: Compatible with modern assistive technologies and designed to meet recognised accessibility standards

We also aim to avoid authentication methods that rely solely on cognitive tasks or memorisation.

Continuous review and improvement:

While we work hard to provide a fully accessible experience, we appreciate there may be occasional complex or technical language in specialist documents and third‑party content—such as our “In Your Area” map—may not fully meet all accessibility requirements. Our commitment is to review our website and work with our supplier on an ongoing basis to improve operability and focus visibility.

Feedback and contact information:

We welcome feedback from users if there are any aspects of the website that are difficult to use or if any accessibility options do not appear to be functioning correctly. Users can contact us via customer services support on accessibility issues or if information is required in a different format. 

Our Ongoing Commitment

We are committed to providing an inclusive digital experience that aligns our web content with WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards. This statement will be reviewed regularly to reflect ongoing improvements.