Accessibility Statement - Buckinghamshire Adult Learning

Accessibility Statement

Buckinghamshire Adult Learning > Accessibility Statement

Accessibility statement for Buckinghamshire Adult Learning

 

This accessibility statement applies to adultlearningbc.ac.uk.

This website is run by Buckinghamshire Adult Learning. We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the broadest possible audience, regardless of ability.

This website utilises various technologies that are meant to always make it as accessible as possible. We utilise an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

Additionally, the website utilises an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimises its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts its functionality and behaviour for screen-readers used by blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

If you wish to contact us for further information, please call 01296 382403 or email studentenquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

 

Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various behavioural changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers can read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively.

Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements:

Screen-reader optimisation: we run a process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others.

Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images. It provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts embedded within the image using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

These adjustments are compatible with popular screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack.

Keyboard navigation optimisation: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.

Additionally, keyboard users will find content-skip menus available at any time by clicking Alt+2, or as the first element of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, not allowing the focus to drift outside.

Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

 

Disability profiles supported on our website.

  • Epilepsy Safe Profile: this profile enables people with epilepsy to safely use the website by eliminating the risk of seizures resulting from flashing or blinking animations and risky colour combinations.
  • Vision Impaired Profile: this profile adjusts the website so that it is accessible to most visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
  • Cognitive Disability Profile: this profile provides various assistive features to help users with cognitive disabilities such as Autism, Dyslexia, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements more easily.
  • ADHD Friendly Profile: this profile significantly reduces distractions and noise to help people with ADHD, and Neurodevelopmental disorders browse, read, and focus on the essential elements more easily.
  • Blind Users Profile (Screen-readers): this profile adjusts the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is installed on the blind user’s computer, and this site is compatible with it.
  • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

 

Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

  1. Font adjustments – users can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height and more.
  2. Colour adjustments –users can select various colour contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap colour schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds with over seven different colouring options.
  3. Animations –epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
  4. Content highlighting –users can choose to emphasise essential elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
  5. Audio muting –users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
  6. Cognitive disorders –we utilise a search engine linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
  7. Additional functions –we allow users to change cursor colour and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

 

Assistive technology and browser compatibility

We aim to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS, and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and MAC users.

 

How accessible this website is

Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating, improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies.

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • some online maps and mapping services cannot be easily navigated
  • some pages and documents are not clearly written or structured
  • some online tools may be difficult to use for assistive technologies
  • some videos do not have captions
  • some content such as images do not have good text alternatives

 

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact our team on 01296 382403 or studentenquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

If you can’t hear or speak on the phone we can help you: 18001 01296 382403

Next Generation Text Service (NGT)

Our contact centre opening hours are 9:00 – 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9:00 – 5:00pm on Friday

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

email studentenquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

call 01296 382403

Buckinghamshire Adult Learning

Quarrendon Adult Learning Centre

Holman Street

Aylesbury

HP19 9LJ

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 7 days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘centre locations’ and ‘contact us’ page, call 01296 382403 or email studentenquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk for directions.

 

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).

 

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Buckinghamshire Adult Learning 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

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard], due to the following issues listed below.

 

Non-accessible content

Parts of the website link to third party websites and online tools. Some of these websites are not fully accessible.

 

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

PDFs and non-HTML documents

Some documents are not accessible in several ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

All course information is readily available on the site by using the Course Search feature or by calling us on 01296 382403

Issues on adultlearningbc.ac.uk

  1. Nested Navigation
    Some navigation areas on tools and pages contain nested options. This fails accessibility best practice and could make it harder for assistive technology users to understand how content is structured.
  2. Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  3. There are some instances where the keyboard focus indicator could be improved in terms of visibility & contrast, so this may not be shown as clearly for people with visual impairments. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible success criterion.
  4. Some text could show better contrast in relation to improved accessibility, so this may not be shown as clearly for people with visual impairments. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) success criterion.

 

Disproportionate burden

Not Applicable

 

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

Third party content

Where we choose to feature third party content or functionality on our website, we are responsible for ensuring it meets accessibility standards. However, we are not responsible for the accessibility of third party platforms or content that is neither funded nor developed by us, or under our control.

This includes:

  • third party websites that we link to from this website and any of our other digital channels
  • social media platforms
  • data we supply to national databases
  • third party content we are legally required to publish but is not in the control of Buckinghamshire Adult Learning

 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We monitor accessibility using checks via Accessibe and manual checks and monthly audit reports.

Buckinghamshire Adult Learning is committed to the ongoing improvement of its website accessibility and are actively managing the output of web content to assure compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

Monthly remediation reports are generated, and action taken where improvements can be made.

We intend to improve our web accessibility even further; with the plan to release a brand new website for Autumn 2024. This will follow the WCAG 2.2 standard.

 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 1st February 2024. It was last reviewed on the same date.

This website was last tested on [31-01-24] against the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

The test was carried out by Aspurian Ltd. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website team. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.