About the Atlas

Accessibility

The Horology Atlas is meant to be usable by everyone who wants to study timekeeping — with a keyboard, a screen reader, magnification, or a phone in poor light. This page explains what is built in, what you can adjust and where we still fall short.

Adjust the Atlas to suit you

The accessibility button in the bottom-right corner of every page opens a panel of reading options. Your choices are saved in this browser only, are applied before the page appears, and can be reset at any time. Three quick settings — Low vision, Easier reading and Fewer distractions — switch on a useful group at once.

Options in the accessibility panel
Option	What it does
Text size	Five steps from 100% to 150%. The whole layout scales with the text, so nothing is cut off or overlaps.
Stronger contrast	Darkens body text, secondary text, borders and accent colours in both light and dark mode.
Readable font	Switches all text to Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface designed by the Braille Institute for readers with low vision. It is only downloaded when you turn it on.
Wider spacing	Increases line height, letter spacing and word spacing to the levels in WCAG text-spacing guidance.
Reading guide	A translucent band that follows the mouse or your finger, to help keep your place in long articles and catalogue entries.
Underline all links	Every link in the page and footer is underlined and highlighted on hover or focus.
Bold keyboard focus	A thick, high-contrast outline marks the control you have reached with the keyboard.
Stop animations	Removes page transitions, fades and other decorative movement.
Large pointer	A larger arrow and hand pointer for mouse users.
Muted colours	Shows the site, including photographs, in greyscale.
Page colour	Light parchment or warm dark reading mode.
Read aloud	Reads the text you have selected, or the whole page, using your device's built-in voice. Nothing is sent to the Atlas.

Your browser and device settings still apply on top: browser zoom, text-size settings, high-contrast modes, screen readers and “reduce motion” all work with the Atlas.

Built into every page

A “Skip to content” link and an “Accessibility options” link are the first things the keyboard reaches on every page.
Menus, galleries, the search box, forms and the simulation controls are built from standard links, buttons and form fields, so they can be reached and used with the keyboard; the mobile menu and dialogs close with Escape.
Pages use one main heading, ordered sub-headings and labelled landmarks (header, navigation, main content, footer) so screen-reader users can move by heading or region.
Every catalogue photograph has a text alternative and a visible credit naming its source. Decorative images are hidden from screen readers.
Colours come from a single set of theme values chosen for readable contrast in both light and dark mode, and the stronger-contrast option darkens them further.
If your device is set to reduce motion, page transitions and decorative animation are switched off automatically.
Pages are laid out for screens from small phones to large monitors, so text reflows instead of running off the side when you zoom in.
Form fields have visible labels, and problems with what you entered are explained in words, not by colour alone.
Each page declares its language, and translated pages declare theirs, so screen readers use the right pronunciation.

Our standard

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. Pages are checked during development with automated tools, keyboard-only use and narrow-screen layouts. We have not yet commissioned an independent audit or full testing with each major screen reader, so we do not claim full conformance.

We describe the Atlas as partially conforming: most of the site meets the standard, with the exceptions listed below. This statement was last reviewed on 13 November 2026.

Known limitations

Catalogue descriptions from source institutions: Many object records repeat the wording supplied by the museum, archive or auction house. Their image descriptions are often the object title rather than a full description of what the photograph shows.
Interactive diagrams and simulations: The labs show their values as text and can be controlled by keyboard, but the animated drawings themselves are not described step by step for screen-reader users.
Maps: The museum directory map is a visual aid; every institution on it is also listed in text with its address.
Draft translations: Some glossary and page translations are flagged drafts awaiting specialist review and may read awkwardly.
Other websites: Links to source institutions, libraries and dealers open their own sites, which we do not control.

Tell us about a barrier

If something on the Atlas is hard or impossible for you to use, please tell us which page, what you were trying to do and what technology you use (for example a screen reader, magnifier or switch device). We read every message and fix what we can; if a page cannot be fixed quickly we will try to send you the information in another format.

Contact the editors — choose “Correction” and mention accessibility in your message.