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Accessibility statement

Last reviewed: 2026-10-08

We want AJ Movie Reviews to be usable by everyone, including people using screen readers, keyboard navigation, magnification, or a slow connection. This page explains what we have done, where we know we fall short, and how to tell us about a problem.

Our target

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA. We have not commissioned a formal third-party audit, so this is a statement of intent and self-assessment rather than a certification, and we would rather say so than imply a badge we have not earned.

What we have done

  • No JavaScript anywhere on the site. Every page works with scripts disabled, which removes an entire category of accessibility failure.
  • Semantic HTML5 landmarks. Every page uses header, nav, main, article, aside and footer, so assistive technology can jump between regions.
  • A skip link on every page, as the first focusable element, letting keyboard users bypass the navigation.
  • Visible focus indicators on all interactive elements, with a high-contrast outline that is never removed.
  • Colour contrast. Body text and interface text are checked against WCAG AA contrast ratios against their backgrounds.
  • Alt text on every image. Each poster and illustration carries a descriptive alternative that names the film, the year and what the image shows. Decorative icons are marked aria-hidden.
  • Resizable text. All typography uses relative units and fluid sizing, so text can be enlarged to 200% without loss of content or function.
  • No motion. The site contains no animation, no autoplaying media and no parallax, so there is nothing to disable for users with vestibular sensitivity.
  • Accessible video. Video episodes never autoplay, always load with preload="none", and every episode carries a full written transcript.
  • Accessible accordions. Our FAQ sections use the native details and summary elements, which are keyboard-operable and announced correctly by screen readers without custom scripting.
  • Captions. Episode pages include a caption track slot; transcripts are published in full on every episode page in the meantime.

Known limitations

  • Caption files. We publish full transcripts but have not yet produced timecoded caption files for every episode. The track element is in place and waiting.
  • Poster artwork. Our artwork is decorative and abstract. Alt text describes the film it represents rather than the image itself, which we consider more useful, but it is a judgement call.
  • Third-party advertising. Ads are served by external networks and we cannot guarantee their accessibility. We do not control their markup.
  • Video player controls. The native browser player is used rather than a custom one, so keyboard and screen reader behaviour depends on the browser.

Compatibility

The site is tested in current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, on desktop and mobile. Because there is no JavaScript and no external CSS, the pages degrade gracefully in older browsers and in text-only browsers.

Telling us about a problem

If you hit a barrier, email accessibility@ajmoviereviews.com with the page URL and a description of what happened. We aim to respond within five working days and to fix confirmed issues in the next site update. We would rather hear about it than not.