Visit East Lothian > Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement For Visit East Lothian

This accessibility statement applies to the Visit East Lothian website - www.visiteastlothian.org - which is run by the Visit East Lothian team at East Lothian Council.

Visit East Lothian is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website and are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all users, including people with disabilities. We are actively working to improve the user experience and apply relevant accessibility standards.

Preparation Of This Accessibility Statement

In addition to Scottish Government testing, our web developer has undertaken extensive testing using Axe WebTools to ensure the website is accessible which has informed the preparation of this statement. This statement was prepared on 10th November 2025 and is based on the Government sample accessibility statement.

How Accessible This website Is

We have taken several steps to improve accessibility and inclusivity:-

Mobile-Responsive Design
The website automatically adjusts to different screen sizes and device types (mobile, tablet, desktop) to maintain ease of navigation and readability.

Colour Contrast And Readability (WCAG 1.4.3)

  • Colour contrast has been improved for buttons, links and placeholder text.
  • Hover test and form warnings now meet accessibility standards.
  • Content remains clear and readable at increased zoom levels.

Keyboard Navigation (WCAG 2.1.1)

  • All menus, tabs, and interactive elements can now be accessed and operated using the keyboard.
  • Visible focus indicators have been added throughout the site.
  • Navigation and content reflow correctly at high zoom levels (200% and 400%).

Pause, Stop, Hide (WCAG 2.2.2)

  • The video at the top of the webpage can now be paused.

Clear Site Structure (WCAG 4.1.2)

  • Page layout and navigation menus and links maintain clarify and usability at high zoom levels.

Compliance Status

This website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard by the Scottish Government.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-Accessible Content

While we have made significant progress, we know some parts of this website are not fully accessible and the below content does not meet current accessibility standards. We are working towards rectifying these issues. The content below is non-accessible for the following reasons:-

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Contrast (Minimum) (WCAG 1.4.3)

  • There are multiple elements across the website that do not have sufficient colour contracts. This includes:
    • the 'Accept all' button within the cookie banner as the page loads
    • multiple elements within the cookie pop up banner once 'Show details' has been expanded, such as 'Read More', 'Cookie Declaration' and Save & Close'.
    • the placeholder text within the 'stay in the loop form'. This also includes the warning text 'Please enter....' when the form is incorrectly filled in.
    • The placeholder text under 'Plan your perfect trip to East Lothian'.
    • elements of text when the house hovers over links above 'Discover Scotland's best kept secret'. This includes the text 'You won't want to miss this' that appears when the mouse hovers over 'East Lothian's top 10'. This is due to the background images.

Content on Hover or Focus (WCAG 1.4.13)

  • When the keyboard tabs or mouse hovers over the navigation bar dropdown menus, there is no mechanism to dismiss the additional content triggered without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus.

Focus Order (WCAG 2.4.3)

  • Once the keyboard tabs through the navigational menu, the dropdown menu expands, however, the keyboard continues to tab onto the next menu rather than onto the expanded links. For example,  once 'Plan Your Trip' has been expanded, the keyboard tabs onto the webpage logo and 'Things To See and Do, instead of 'Travel to East Lothian.

Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (WCAG 2.4.11)

  • As the keyboard tabs through the navigational menu, the dropdown menus automatically expand each time and stay open. For example, as the keyboard tabs onto 'Places to Stay', the menu for 'Things to See and Do' is still expanded. This means the keyboard focus becomes obscured on background links each time a new menu is expanded.
  • When the search banner is expanded, keyboard focus moves to background content, making some links fully hidden.
  • At 400% zoom, the keyboard focus can move to the page content behind the cookie banner, if the user tabs from the banner. This results in the focused element being completely hidden from view by the cookie banner.
  • WCAG Keyboard - links such as Google LLC are not accessible using the keyboard in the expanded cookie banner.

Content is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Focus Visible (WCAG 2.4.7)

  • In some cases, we may not be able to ensure instant accessibility of user-generated content. Part of this website is a Business Directory and users enter their own details and manage their own page(s). because We cannot ensure the quality of contributions. We do our best to monitor the submissions as they come in and will make amendments where we can. Please use the ‘report issue’ button if you encounter an issue.
  • The Home page has a map with 'popover' images. There is no discernable label on these markers, however, there is a hidden label added for screen readers. This will cause a 'critical' error on automatic accessibility testers.
  • Some pages have an iframe where language is defined in this manner: en_gb. This is a minor issue that is caused by the Google Recaptcha anti-spam checker for the contact form. We cannot influence this.

Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (WCAG 2.4.11)

  • The arrangement of the landmark elements in the header of the website is complex. This means that adhering to a strict landmark element hierarchy is not possible. This is a minor issue that will not obscure the user experience, rather enhance the experience with a mega-menu design, which allows for easy navigation around the website.

Technical Standards

This site aims to conform with the following:-

  • WCAG 2.2 Level AA guidelines (published October 2023).
  • UK Government accessibility regulations under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Browser Compatibility

This website is designed to work on all platforms and devices and is tested on a range of web browsers, including:-

  • Google Chrome on Windows PC
  • Safari on Apple Mac
  • Default Browser on Android mobile phone

Accessibility of Visit East Lothian relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML
  • WAI-ARIA
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • PHP

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Measures To Support Accessibility

Visit East Lothian takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of Visit East Lothian:

  • Include accessibility throughout our internal policies.
  • Assign clear accessibility goals and responsibilities.
  • Make continued efforts to ensure the website remains accessible as far as possible in our routine maintenance.

Feedback and Contact

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the Visit East Lothian website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact the Visit East Lothian team. If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:-

Email: [email protected]

We'll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.

Enforcement Procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations').  If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).