Accessibility statement for websites hosted on the Research Computing server

This statement applies to content published on the arts.st-andrews.ac.uk and research.st-andrews.ac.uk domains, run by the Research Computing Team at the University of St Andrews. It does not apply to content on any other university domain or subdomain. The arts.st-andrews.ac.uk and research.st-andrews.ac.uk domains host over 50 individual research sites, such as https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/biographical-register. These sites use different content management systems, themes, and plugins, to control their appearance and management of content.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use these websites. 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
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

You can also explore some of our recommendations for tools that can make your online experience better.

How accessible this website is

We are in the process of making the research sites as accessible as possible. Where applicable, this will include changing to more accessible WordPress themes. An accessible theme will help with navigating a site and reading the content. However, even if a site is using an accessible theme there may be some areas that are not fully compliant.

Some areas of inaccessibility include:

  • Some images do not have good alternative text or are missing alternative text.
  • Pre-recorded video and audio may be missing transcripts.
  • PDFs and other documents may not meet accessibility standards.
  • Same link text is used to go to multiple destinations.
  • Some form elements are not grouped, making keyboard navigation harder.
  • Colour contrast might not be sufficient in certain circumstances.
  • Some input fields may be missing a description, have issues with focus or have missing labels.
  • Some tables may not be fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • Most older PDF documents aren’t fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • Some headings may have empty tags.
  • Some links are only identifiable by colour.
  • HTML has been used for structural purposes within the site (for example tables for layout).
  • ID elements may not be unique.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact Research Computing:

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

We have induction loops in main lecture venues, and we have portable loops that may be set up if requested in advance. We also have a Roger pen to assist visitors who use hearing aids.

We can provide a text relay service for people who are Deaf, deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment who are contacting us by phone.

British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via the online BSL Video Relay Interpreting service from Contact Scotland BSL. We will also endeavour to arrange a BSL interpreter for visiting individuals that need that support, but this should be requested in advance as availability is limited.

Find out how to contact the University.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of St Andrews is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Images

Some images do not have alternative text, so the information in them isn’t available to people using a screen reader (success criterion 1.1.1 – non-text content).

Pre-recorded video and audio

We do not plan to add captions or transcripts to all pre-recorded audio and video media as this is exempt if published before 23 September 2020, but we will add these to selected media when possible. Any media published after this date will include captions.

PDFs and other attached documents

Many of our PDFs and other documents don’t meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be accessible to screen reader software.

Some of our PDFs and other attached documents are essential to providing our services. We will review and replace PDFs and documents with HTML page where possible.

Links without meaningful text

Some link text doesn’t make sense when read on its own (for example, ‘click here’) and there are instances where text is difficult to read (Success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose – In Context).

We will correct link text over time as we review each page. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure link text meets accessibility standards and follows plain English guidelines.

Forms

There are forms and interactive elements such as carousels which do not meet multiple AA success criteria including, but not limited to:

  • Colour contrast (1.4.3)
  • Images containing text (1.4.5)
  • Headings and labels (2.4.6)
  • Focus visible (2.4.7)

Contrast issues

Some pages contain elements with low contrast between the element and its background. This can cause text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision, poor eyesight, or colour blindness (Success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast – minimum).

Issues with focus indicator

Some elements may not always display effective focus indication when interacting with elements (Success criterion 2.4.7 Focus visible).

Incorrect or missing labels

There are some label and aria-labelled by tags that are not referencing the correct field, alongside some missing labels (Success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content).

Input field has no description

Input fields should always have a description that is explicitly associated with the field to make sure that users of assistive technologies will also know what the field is for (Success criterion – 1.3.1 Info and Relationships).

HTML is used to format content

There are some table elements that have used attributes such as “cell padding” when CSS should be used instead (Success criterion – 1.3.1 Info and Relationships).

ID elements are not unique

Unique IDs are required and helpful for screen readers (Success criterion – 1.3.1 Info and Relationships).

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other attached documents

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

Pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020

We do not plan to add captions or transcripts to all pre-recorded audio and video media as this is exempt if published before 23 September 2020.

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Maps

Online maps are included in a number of web pages. Where there is a map with one single point of interest, the information being displayed is provided in an alternative format on the same web page. Where there is more than one point of interest on the map, we are working towards an accessible solution.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

  • We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of their sites.
  • We are switching existing WordPress sites to accessible themes.
  • New WordPress sites are given an accessible theme by default.
  • WordPress plugins will be reviewed to ensure they meet accessibility standards.
  • We apply similar measures to sites using other content management systems or technologies.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 1 December 2020. It was last reviewed and updated on 16 January 2024.