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Accessibility statement

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Version 1.0, last updated 5 Nov 2026

The statement

Accessibility statement for The Bench

This website is run by Hamed Arab Academy: Hamed Arab, trading as Studio Saina Ltd (company number 12770445). We want as many people as possible to be able to use The Bench. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts;
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen;
  • use most of the website with just a keyboard;
  • use most of the website with speech recognition software;
  • use it on a phone, a tablet or a wide screen.

We have not yet tested The Bench with a screen reader, so we cannot say how well it works with one. We say more about this below.

We have also written the site in plain English. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We aim to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA. The Bench partly meets WCAG 2.2 AA. An automatic checker found no serious or critical problem on the pages we tested, but we have not yet tested with a screen reader, we have not had an outside audit, and we have not yet gone through every WCAG success criterion by hand. So we cannot say that The Bench fully meets the standard.

We know some parts are not fully tested, or not fully accessible: see "Non-accessible content" below.

What to do if you cannot use part of the site

Email hi@hamedarab.academy. Tell us the web address, what you could not do, and what device or assistive technology you use. If you need information in another format, such as large print, easy read, audio or a text description of a 3D file, tell us and we will reply within 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems

If you find a problem that is not listed here, tell us at the same address.

If you are not happy with our reply

The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) can advise on discrimination. In Northern Ireland, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The Equality and Human Rights Commission enforces the Equality Act 2010 in Great Britain.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

We are committed to making The Bench accessible, in line with WCAG 2.2 level AA. The Bench partly meets WCAG 2.2 AA, for the reasons below.

Non-accessible content

  • Screen readers have not been tested.
    • Standard: Many WCAG 2.2 success criteria depend on how a screen reader reads a page, such as 1.3.1 (info and relationships) and 4.1.2 (name, role, value).
    • Why: Nobody has yet run a screen reader on The Bench, so we have no result to report.
    • What we will do: We plan to test with screen readers and will update this statement with what we find. We have not set a date.
  • Only the automatic checker has run.
    • Standard: All WCAG 2.2 A and AA criteria.
    • Why: Automatic checkers find only some kinds of problem. The checks we ran (axe-core, using its WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 level A and AA rules) failed the build on any serious or critical finding. Moderate and minor findings were not counted.
    • What we will do: We plan a manual check against each criterion. We have not set a date.
  • Text descriptions of pictures.
    • Standard: 1.1.1 (non-text content).
    • Why: Pictures that members add can carry a text description, and we do not yet know whether every picture has a useful one. The automatic checker cannot judge whether a description is useful.
    • What we will do: Ask posters for a text description, and check what we see once members start adding pictures.
  • No outside audit and no testing with disabled people.
    • Standard: Not a single criterion; this is a gap in how we have tested.
    • Why: The Bench has not opened yet.
    • What we will do: We plan to ask disabled members to try The Bench. We have not set a date, and we have not booked an outside audit.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

  • We build to WCAG 2.2 AA from the first page, not as a retrofit.
  • The tests that run before a release open the pages in a real browser at phone, tablet and desktop widths. They run the axe-core checker on each page, check that nothing spills sideways off the screen, and check the colour contrast of the text.
  • We plan keyboard-only and screen reader testing, and testing with disabled members. We will say here what we find. We have not set dates.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 1 November 2026, from the results of our own build tests. It has not been reviewed by anyone outside The Bench. The website was last tested in October 2026, by those tests, using the axe-core checker in a real browser at 390, 768 and 1440 pixels wide. The tests covered the home page, Jobs, the Journal, Ask, the Directory, events, people, sign-in and sign-up, the legal pages, account and picture screens, notifications and the admin screens. We did not test with a screen reader, a magnifier or speech recognition software.

Who provides The Bench

The Bench, by Hamed Arab Academy, is provided by Studio Saina Ltd, company number 12770445, Victoria Mansions, 32-35 Hall Street, Birmingham B18 6BS. You can write to us at hi@hamedarab.academy.