Gardening Hoxton Accessibility Statement

At Gardening Hoxton we are committed to making gardening in Hoxton accessible to everyone. This statement explains our approach to accessibility for both our online content and in-person community activities across the Hoxton area. We aim to provide clear, usable information for residents, volunteers and visitors who rely on assistive technologies, with a specific focus on improving access to local gardening resources and community beds. Our goal is to reduce barriers so that Hoxton gardening projects are enjoyable and usable for all.

Our scope covers digital content, printed materials supplied at events, and on-site wayfinding for community plots in the Hoxton locality. We strive to follow recognised accessibility practices and to use plain language where possible. Gardening Hoxton content is developed with usability in mind: headings, lists and descriptive links help people find practical details about workshops, planting schedules and volunteer opportunities. We also apply contrast and typography choices to support readability for visitors across the Hoxton gardening sites.

We design our pages to support common assistive technology, including screen readers and speech output. This includes semantic HTML, descriptive alt text for images used in the context of community projects, and ARIA roles only where required to enhance navigation. For gardening in Hoxton, details such as plant lists and access notes are structured so that screen-reader users can quickly understand seasonal tasks and accessibility considerations for each plot.

We aim to meet the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level for our online presence. Key measures include keyboard navigation throughout our content, logical tab order, and focus indicators that help keyboard users navigate information about Hoxton gardening activities. Where interactive forms or sign-up processes exist, they are coded to be usable without a mouse and to provide clear validation messages that screen readers can announce.

Our site and resources include multiple features to assist users: clear headings, consistent navigation, and captioned videos for instructional gardening demonstrations. We maintain an accessible approach to media by providing transcripts or captions for audio, and descriptive summaries for visual diagrams such as planting plans. Below are examples of accessibility features we prioritise:

Accessibility features

• Support for screen-reader software and refreshable Braille displays
• Full keyboard navigation for pages and interactive forms
• High-contrast colour options and adjustable text sizing for readability
• ARIA-enhanced components only when they improve clarity for assistive technology

We regularly test our content using automated tools and manual checks with popular screen readers and keyboard-only navigation to identify issues affecting the Hoxton gardening community. Testing includes user journeys such as locating a repair day, joining a volunteer shift, or downloading seasonal planting notes. Findings are prioritised and fixed as part of an ongoing accessibility improvement plan. We also train content creators to write accessible text and to structure pages for clear navigation.

There may be documents or older pages that do not yet fully conform to WCAG 2.1 AA standards. If you encounter barriers while accessing information about Hoxton gardening services or community plots, we want to help. Please contact our accessibility team with details of the problem and the content you need. When you get in touch, let us know the nature of the issue and the preferred format for receiving information so we can respond effectively.

Thank you for your interest in making Hoxton gardening inclusive. We welcome ongoing dialogue and suggestions to improve access to green spaces and gardening resources across the area. Gardening Hoxton is committed to continuous improvement and to ensuring that community gardening is accessible to every neighbour and participant.