Accessibility Statement

1. About this statement

This accessibility statement applies to the website available at breathtec.co.uk. It has been prepared by BreathTec in accordance with (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and reflects the technical requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA.

BreathTec is committed to making its website accessible to as many people as possible, including people who use assistive technologies or have visual, hearing, motor, cognitive or neurological access needs. Accessibility is not treated as a compliance obligation alone; it is a core part of how we design and deliver the service.

This statement explains the accessibility work completed so far, the issues currently known, and the next steps planned. It was prepared in July 2026 and will be reviewed and updated at least once every twelve months, or sooner following any material change to the website.

2. What you should be able to do on this website

BreathTec is designed to support people living with breathlessness to manage their condition and improve their quality of life. We want the widest possible range of people to be able to use the site without difficulty. Our aim is that any person using the website should be able to:

• Change colours, contrast levels and font sizes using browser or operating system settings without any loss of content or functionality.
• Zoom in to 400% without content overflowing its container or disappearing from view.
• Navigate all pages and complete all tasks using a keyboard alone, without requiring a mouse or pointing device.
• Navigate the website using speech recognition software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
• Use the website with a screen reader, including current versions of JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver on macOS and iOS.
• Understand all content written in plain English, avoiding unnecessary jargon, at or below a reading level appropriate for a general adult audience.
• Access video content with captions, transcripts, or audio descriptions where applicable.
• Use the website on any modern device, including desktop, tablet and mobile, in portrait or landscape orientation.

AbilityNet provides guidance on how to make your device easier to use if you have a disability. You can find their ‘My Computer My Way’ guides at mcmw.abilitynet.org.uk.

3. How accessible this website is

BreathTec does not currently claim full conformance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA. A comprehensive accessibility assessment of the whole website, including registration, login and authenticated user journeys, has not yet been completed.

The current accessibility status of breathtec.co.uk is:

On 6 July 2026, a limited automated assessment of the publicly available homepage was carried out using the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WebAIM). Automated tools can identify certain technical issues but cannot determine whether a website is fully accessible — manual testing and testing with assistive technologies are also required. Structured user testing has been conducted in partnership with Humanly. A comprehensive WCAG 2.2 Level AA audit covering all pages and authenticated user journeys is planned for Q1 2027. This statement will be updated once that audit is complete.

4. Known accessibility issues

The WAVE assessment reported the following issues on the publicly available homepage, tested on 6 July 2026. These findings should not be treated as a complete assessment of the rest of the website or its authenticated services. The development team is validating each reported item and plans to correct confirmed homepage issues during Q3 2026.

4.1 Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

4.1.1 Missing alternative text on images (WCAG 1.1.1 — Non-text Content)

Seven images on the site do not have text alternatives: five standalone images and two linked images. This may prevent screen reader users from understanding the content or purpose of those images. This is a confirmed WCAG 2.2 Level AA failure.

We are auditing all images across the site and adding appropriate alternative text to all informational images. Linked images will be given alternative text describing their destination or function. Decorative images will be marked to be skipped by assistive technologies. Target resolution: Q3 2026.

4.1.2 Empty button (WCAG 4.1.2 — Name, Role, Value)

One button on the site has no accessible name. This may prevent screen reader users from understanding the button’s purpose or deciding whether to activate it. This is a confirmed WCAG 2.2 Level AA failure.

The button will be given a descriptive accessible label. Target resolution: Q3 2026.

4.1.3 Colour contrast failures (WCAG 1.4.3 — Contrast Minimum)

Three instances of low colour contrast between text and its background were identified. This may make text difficult to read for people with low vision or colour vision deficiencies. These are confirmed WCAG 2.2 Level AA failures.

We are reviewing and updating the colour values for all affected text elements to meet the required contrast ratios. Target resolution: Q3 2026.

4.1.4 Skipped heading level (WCAG 1.3.1 — Info and Relationships)

The heading structure on the site skips a heading level, which disrupts the logical hierarchy of the page for users navigating by heading using a screen reader. This may make the page more difficult to understand and navigate.

We are reviewing the heading structure across all pages to ensure a consistent and logical hierarchy. Target resolution: Q3 2026.

4.2 Issues we are monitoring

The following items do not represent current accessibility failures but are being actively monitored as part of our development programme:

• Compatibility with the latest versions of assistive technologies as they are released.
• The accessibility of any new content or functionality added to the site.
• Third-party components integrated into the platform, which we review on a scheduled basis.

4.3 Content not within the scope of these regulations

The following content is not within the scope of The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018:

• Third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by BreathTec and is not under our control, including embedded video content hosted on external platforms.
• PDF documents published before 23 September 2018 that are not essential to accessing the service. We will endeavour to make these available in an accessible alternative format on request.
• Live audio content.

5. Reporting an accessibility problem

Please contact us if you experience an accessibility barrier on the BreathTec website, cannot access any content, or need information in a different format.

If you are unable to access any content or complete any task on the BreathTec website because of an accessibility issue, please contact us using any of the methods below.

To help us investigate, please include the page address, what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and — where relevant — the browser, device or assistive technology you were using.

Where you request information in an alternative accessible format, we will discuss your requirements and aim to provide a suitable alternative as soon as reasonably practicable.

6. 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 in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent body is the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility complaint, you have the right to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS):

If your concern relates to Northern Ireland, please contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland at www.equalityni.org.

7. Technical information about this website’s accessibility

BreathTec is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

7.1 Technologies relied upon

The BreathTec website relies on the following technologies to be accessible:

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JavaScript
• WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes where required

Current testing includes keyboard-only navigation across all primary user journeys, automated scanning using WAVE, and review with screen reader software. The planned comprehensive WCAG 2.2 audit will extend testing to cover the following assistive technology and browser combinations:

• NVDA with Firefox (Windows)
• JAWS with Chrome (Windows)
• VoiceOver with Safari (macOS and iOS)
• TalkBack with Chrome (Android)
• Dragon NaturallySpeaking with Chrome (Windows)

7.2 Applicable standards and guidelines

This website aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG 2.2 sets out four principles that all web content should follow:

• Perceivable: content and interface components must be presented in ways that users can perceive.
• Operable: interface components and navigation must be operable by all users.
• Understandable: content and operation of the interface must be understandable.
• Robust: content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

8. How we test this website

We use a combination of automated tools and manual expert review to assess the accessibility of the BreathTec website. Neither method alone is sufficient; together they provide a comprehensive picture of the user experience for people with disabilities.

8.1 Automated testing

Automated scanning is conducted using the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool, developed by WebAIM. WAVE identifies programmatically detectable accessibility errors and alerts, including missing alternative text, contrast failures, form labelling issues, and structural problems. Automated testing identifies a significant proportion of detectable accessibility issues but cannot identify all failures, particularly those related to user experience, screen reader interaction, or cognitive accessibility. Manual testing is always required alongside automated scanning.

8.2 Manual testing

Manual review covers primary user journeys, with attention to keyboard navigation, screen reader behaviour, colour contrast, form labelling, error handling, and focus management. Manual review is carried out by our internal digital team. External specialist review will be incorporated as part of the planned comprehensive audit.

8.3 User testing

BreathTec works with Humanly to conduct structured user testing with people who have a range of disabilities and access needs. Humanly brings together participants with lived experience of disability to test digital services directly, uncovering barriers that automated tools and expert review alone cannot identify. Their involvement shapes both our accessibility improvements and our wider approach to user experience design.

This approach means our testing goes beyond technical compliance. It reflects how real users, including older adults managing long-term respiratory conditions, actually experience the service. Insights from Humanly testing sessions are fed directly into our development backlog and inform design decisions across the programme.

The website was last fully tested in July 2026. We aim to conduct a full audit at least annually and conduct targeted testing following any material change to the site’s structure, design, or content.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 6 July 2026 following a limited automated assessment of the publicly available homepage.

It will be reviewed after the known homepage issues have been addressed, after the comprehensive accessibility audit, and no later than July 2027. It will also be updated sooner if a material change is made to the website or if significant new accessibility information becomes available. The website was last tested on 6 July 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard using the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WebAIM). Testing was carried out by the BreathTec digital team and covered the publicly accessible homepage at breathtec.co.uk.

9. What we are doing to improve accessibility

BreathTec is taking a phased approach to accessibility improvement. The current programme includes:

• Validating and correcting the issues reported on the homepage, with confirmed fixes targeted for Q3 2026.
• Commissioning a comprehensive WCAG 2.2 Level AA audit covering the public website, registration, login and authenticated user journeys, planned for Q1 2027.
• Including appropriate manual checks, keyboard-only testing and testing with relevant assistive technologies as part of the comprehensive audit.
• Updating this statement after the audit to record the assessed conformance position, any additional issues identified and the corresponding remediation timetable.
• Considering accessibility when new content and functionality are introduced, so that avoidable barriers are not added to the service.
• Reviewing all downloadable documents for accessibility and providing accessible alternatives where required.

10. Disproportionate burden

BreathTec has not made any formal claim of disproportionate burden in relation to any accessibility requirement at the time this statement was prepared. All known non-compliances are being addressed within the timescales set out in Section 4.

If at any point we determine that resolving a specific issue would impose a disproportionate burden, we will document that determination here, including an explanation of the cost and benefit assessment that informed it, and explain what alternative means of access are available.

11. Feedback and contact information

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of the BreathTec website. If you experience a problem or have a suggestion for how we can improve, please contact us. All accessibility-related feedback is reviewed by the BreathTec digital team and used to inform our ongoing improvement programme.

Version history

This statement is reviewed annually. Next review: July 2027.