Prepared on 8 September 2026. This statement applies to the public website and signed-in member platform operated by the Westcountry Association for Counselling (WAC), including wac-southwest.co.uk.
Our commitment
WAC wants disabled people to be able to use its information, membership services, professional directory, groups, messages, support desk and event booking facilities with as little difficulty as possible. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA and to make reasonable adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.
We design the website so that, in general, you should be able to:
- zoom text and page content without losing essential information;
- navigate using a keyboard rather than a mouse;
- use headings, labels and landmarks with a screen reader;
- use the site on a phone, tablet or desktop screen;
- understand links, buttons, form errors and status messages; and
- pause and return to most account tasks without losing your account information.
How accessible the website is
WAC has built accessibility into the current website, but has not yet commissioned a complete independent WCAG audit. We therefore do not claim that every page is fully conformant. Areas kept under particular review include complex administration tables, image cropping controls, rich-text editors, payment elements supplied by Stripe, realtime messaging, older uploaded documents and content supplied by event organisers.
PDFs, Word documents and images uploaded as historic resources may not all have been created in an accessible format. Some third-party pages reached from WAC, including Stripe payment pages, Zoom meetings and external organiser websites, are controlled by those providers.
Alternative formats and event adjustments
If you need information in a different format—such as an accessible PDF, large print, plain text or a description of an image—or need an adjustment to take part in an event, please contact WAC. Signed-in users can also open a request through Help & Support in the dashboard. Tell us what you need and how you would prefer us to reply. Please do not include medical information that is not necessary for the adjustment.
WAC will consider each request promptly. The time needed will depend on the format, the event date and whether a third party owns the material, but we will explain what can be provided and when.
Reporting an accessibility problem
If you cannot use part of the website, include the page address, what you were trying to do, the device or assistive technology used and a description of the problem. This helps WAC reproduce and correct the barrier. Reporting a problem will not affect your membership, booking or access to services.
Technical approach
The website uses semantic HTML, responsive layouts, visible keyboard focus, labelled form controls and text alternatives where content editors provide them. WAC reviews new components and important user journeys during development and tests them at different viewport sizes. Accessibility is a continuing duty, so this statement will be updated after material platform changes or a formal audit.
Escalating a concern
WAC would like the opportunity to resolve an accessibility concern directly. If you believe WAC has failed to make a reasonable adjustment or has unlawfully discriminated against you, you may seek independent advice from the Equality Advisory and Support Service. Nothing in this statement limits your rights under the Equality Act 2010.