Accessibility

Built by someone who gets it

ADHD Scot was created by a founder with ADHD and autism. That's not a footnote, it shapes every decision about how the site works. The reading experience, the lack of distractions, the plain language, the no-dark-patterns policy, the colour palette chosen to avoid sensory overload: these come directly from personal experience of what makes websites exhausting to use, and what makes them actually helpful.

We aim to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. We test with keyboard navigation and screen readers. But we also test something that no standard captures: whether this site would have been useful to us when we were sitting with a list of symptoms and not knowing what to do next.

We are not a large organisation with a dedicated accessibility team. Where we have fallen short, we want to know, see the contact section below.

What we do

Structure and navigation

• Every page has a logical heading structure (H1 → H2 → H3) so screen readers and keyboard users can navigate quickly between sections.
• Navigation landmarks are marked up with semantic HTML, header, main, nav, footer, so assistive technology can jump between them.
• All links describe where they go. We avoid "click here" or "read more" without context.
• The site uses a consistent layout across pages so you always know where things are.

Text and reading

• We write in plain English and explain any technical terms we use.
• Paragraphs are short. We break content into sections with clear headings so you can scan and find what you need without reading everything.
• Font sizes are set in relative units, if you increase your browser's default font size, everything scales with it.
• Line spacing and letter spacing are set generously to reduce reading fatigue.
• We do not use justified text, which creates uneven gaps that are harder for people with dyslexia.

Colour and contrast

• Text and background colours meet or exceed WCAG AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text).
• We do not rely on colour alone to convey meaning, icons, labels, and text accompany any colour-coded information.
• Dark mode is supported. Your system preference is respected automatically.
• The colour palette is muted and low-stimulation, chosen specifically because many users find bright or high-contrast interfaces overwhelming.

Motion and distraction

• There are no auto-playing videos, audio, or animations.
• There are no pop-ups, interstitials, or timed content.
• There are no countdown timers, urgency mechanics, or notification badges.
• There are no adverts on this site.
• Hover transitions are subtle and brief, and are removed for users who have set "Reduce motion" in their system settings.

Keyboard and focus

• Every interactive element, links, buttons, form fields, and menus, is reachable and operable by keyboard alone.
• Focus indicators are visible: when you tab to a link or button, a clear outline appears.
• Dropdown navigation menus open on both hover and keyboard focus.
• Forms label every field clearly, and error messages describe specifically what needs fixing.

Images and media

• Every image has descriptive alt text, or is marked as decorative (empty alt attribute) where it adds no information.
• Images are served at appropriate sizes for your screen and connection.
• There are no flashing or strobing images or animations.

Screeners and interactive tools

• The ADHD self-screener (ASRS-v1.1), Autism screener (AQ-10), and CAT-Q can all be completed by keyboard alone.
• Results are shown in plain text with no colour-only feedback.
• All screeners include a print/save button so you can share results with a GP.
• No account or personal data is required to use any screener. Results are not stored or sent anywhere.

Documents

FOI response documents from NHS boards are published as PDFs on the FOI tracker page. These are scanned documents provided by the health boards and are not fully tagged for accessibility. We transcribe key figures into the waiting times HTML table so the information is available in an accessible format. If you need a document in an alternative format, contact us.

Designed with neurodivergent users in mind

Most accessibility guidelines focus on physical and sensory disabilities. We also design specifically for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and related conditions, because that is who this site is for.

For ADHD

• Short paragraphs and scannable structure, you do not need to read everything to find what you need.
• No time pressure, no session timeouts, no disappearing content.
• No distracting sidebars, social widgets, or recommended article feeds.
• The comparison tool lets you filter and sort to reduce decision fatigue.

For autism

• Consistent navigation, the same items are always in the same place across every page.
• Predictable page layouts, each page type follows a clear template.
• No unexpected sounds, animations, or content changes.
• Direct, literal language. We avoid idioms and ambiguity.
• Sensory-considerate colour palette, no harsh contrasts or neon colours.

For dyslexia

• Left-aligned text throughout.
• Generous line spacing (1.7 on body text).
• Short line lengths, body content is capped at around 70 characters wide.
• Bold and headings used sparingly so they stand out when they appear.

For anxiety and mental health

• No dark patterns, guilt-tripping, or manipulation.
• Crisis support numbers are in the footer of every page.
• Distressing information (such as long waiting times) is presented factually with clear caveats.
• We do not use language that pathologises or stigmatises ADHD or autism.

Tips for using this site

Some built-in browser and device features can make this site easier to use.

Text size

Increase text size with Ctrl + (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + (Mac). The site scales with it. You can also set a larger default font size in your browser preferences under Appearance.

Dark mode

Enable dark mode in your operating system settings, the site switches automatically. On Mac: System Settings → Appearance. On Windows: Settings → Personalisation → Colours. On iOS: Settings → Display & Brightness.

Reader mode

Firefox and Safari have a Reader View that strips navigation and reformats text in a plain, distraction-free layout. In Firefox, press F9 or click the book icon in the address bar. In Safari, click the Reader icon at the left of the address bar.

Reduce motion

On Mac: System Settings → Accessibility → Display → Reduce Motion. On Windows: Settings → Ease of Access → Display → turn off Show animations. On iOS: Settings → Accessibility → Motion → Reduce Motion. This site removes hover transitions when this preference is active.

Zoom

The site supports up to 400% browser zoom without loss of functionality or horizontal scrolling.

Screen readers

This site has been tested with VoiceOver (Mac and iOS) and NVDA (Windows). If you experience problems with a specific screen reader, let us know.

Known limitations

We are honest about where the site falls short.

• Provider comparison table: The comparison table has many columns. On small screens, the table scrolls horizontally. If you use a screen reader and find the table difficult to navigate, please contact us for data in an alternative format.
• NHS waiting times table: The data table is large. We add column headers and row scope attributes, but complex data tables are inherently challenging with assistive technology. If you need the data in a different format, contact us.
• FOI response PDFs: Documents provided by NHS boards are scanned PDFs from third parties. Key figures are always transcribed into the HTML waiting times table, but the source PDFs themselves are not fully accessible.
• No formal audit: We have not commissioned a third-party accessibility audit. We test using automated tools (Axe, Lighthouse) and manual keyboard and screen reader testing, but a professional audit may surface issues we have missed.

Feedback and contact

If something on this site is difficult to use, or if you have a suggestion for how we can be more accessible, please tell us. We take accessibility feedback seriously and act on it.

Email us at hello@adhdscot.co.uk or use the contact form. Mention accessibility in your subject line so we can prioritise it. We aim to respond within 5 working days.