Accessibility statement
Accessibility statement for HS2.org.uk
This accessibility statement applies to HS2.org.uk
This website is run by High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement.
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact our Helpdesk using the details below.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, contact our Helpdesk.
Email: [email protected]
Freephone: 08081 434 434
Minicom: 08081 456 472
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
HS2 Community Hub
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd
Two Snowhill
Snow Hill Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6GA
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 21 days
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment:
Minicom: 08081 456 472
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
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).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Some links are not descriptive of their purpose / destination when browsing out of context. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A).
Podcasts
The volume slider in the embedded podcast player poses issues for keyboard-only users. When tabbing through the player, they will reach a div with visible focus before reaching the actual slider. This compromises focus and gives the impression that the slider is inaccessible because the arrow keys do not work. Tabbing away from the div does allow the slider to be focussed and controlled but there is no visible focus indicator. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criteria 2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A) and 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA).
The volume slider in the embedded podcast player disappears when the screen viewport width is 320px or smaller, and when the screen viewport width is 1280px wide and the page is zoomed to 400%. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.10 Reflow (Level AA).
The label used for the Play/Pause button in the embedded podcast player does not change to reflect the current playback status. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA).
The embedded podcast player contains a button labelled “Display Menu”. When encountered out of context, the purpose of this button is not clear to screen reader users. The label does not provide enough information about what the menu contains or which part of the web page it relates to. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA).
The embedded podcast player is provided by a third-party. A text alternative and links to other online sources for the podcast are available.
Disproportionate burden
Alternative audio tracks for videos
Our videos do not contain an alternative, descriptive audio track. For example, an audio track describing what’s happening in the video rather than captions of the script. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Pre-recorded).
Our videos are hosted on YouTube which does not yet support more than one audio track.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Route map
Coloured sections along the route map line indicate the location of viaducts, embankments and cuttings. They can be hovered over with a mouse to display a text description but this content is not dismissible or persistent, which fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA). This content cannot be accessed using the keyboard, which fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A).
Our interactive route map is exempt from the accessibility regulations. Any essential information is provided in an alternative, accessible format.
Interactive embedded maps
Our interactive embedded maps are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, the Supply Chain Map and the Green Corridor Map which are built and hosted through third-party software and ‘skinned’ to look like our website. These maps do not fully meet accessibility standards but are exempt from the accessibility regulations.
PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader.
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We test our website bi-annually with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) to check for areas of improvement or non-compliance. They produce a detailed report for us.
Our website agency has a dedicated accessibility expert who then reviews this report and makes recommendations accordingly. Since receiving the report a number of improvements have been made to address the Level A and Level AA issues that were noted.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 20 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 30 March 2026.
This website was last tested on 27 January 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC).