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Accessibility Statement

Find out how accessible our website is, how to report accessibility issues and what to do if you can’t access parts of this website.

Accessibility statement for librariesunlimited.org.uk (website)

This website is run by Libraries Unlimited South West Ltd.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. 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)

Make your device easier to use

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

This includes how to:

  • make text larger
  • magnify the screen
  • change fonts and colours
  • make your mouse pointer easier to see
  • using your keyboard instead of a mouse
  • making your device talk to you

You can translate this website to your preferred language by changing the settings in your browser (such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Safari).

How accessible is this website

We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible. For example, some files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format, please phone +44(0)1884 824546 or email info@librariesunlimited.org.uk.   We’ll consider your request and 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 us by phone +44(0)1884 824546 or email info@librariesunlimited.org.uk

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

Our   libraries have audio induction loops for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment, services may differ per library.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Libraries Unlimited 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 listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations (website)

PDFs and other documents

Many of our PDFs and other document types may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. This fails WCAG success criterion 4.1.2

All fieldset elements should be labeled with legend elements.

The first child element inside a fieldset must be a legend element, which provides a label or description for the group. legend elements in other positions may be ignored. WCAG 2.1 A

All onclick handlers should have an equivalent onkeyup or onkeydown handler.

Some users are unable to use a mouse, so use the keyboard instead. Add an equivalent keyboard event handler to help these users. WCAG 2.1 A

All onmouseover handlers should have an equivalent onfocus handler.  

Some users are unable to use a mouse, so use the keyboard instead. Add an equivalent keyboard event handler to help these users. WCAG 2.1 A

Content inserted with CSS is not read by some screen readers, and not available to people who turn off style sheets. WCAG 2.1 A

Duplicate id – the same ID is used on more than one element. Each a element must contain text or an img with an alt attribute. iframe and frame elements must have a title attribute.WCAG 2.1 A

The visual label must appear in the accessible name of links and controls.

People who use speech control rely on being able to select elements using the visual label displayed on screen. If this isn’t part of the accessible name, they can’t select elements by name. WCAG 2.1 A

Use semantic markup like strong instead of using the CSS font-weight property.

Use the strong element instead of the span element for bold text. WCAG 2.1 A

Do not use the meta viewport tag to disable zoom.

Setting user-scalable=no or maximum-scale to less than 2.0 prevents zooming small text to make it readable. Note that iOS 10+ ignores this setting. WCAG 2.1 AA

Ensure that text and background colours have enough contrast.

Some users find it hard to read light text on a white background, dark text on a black background and white text on a red background.

  • The contrast ratio should be 3.0 or more for 18 point text, or larger
  • The contrast ratio should be 3.0 or more for 14 point bold text, or larger
  • The contrast ratio should be 4.5 or more for all other text

WCAG 2.1 AA

Form field labels should be unique on a page, or be close to text providing context.

Form fields with the same label need extra context (such as a heading) to explain the differences between the fields. WCAG 2.1 AA

The CSS outline or border style on this element makes it difficult or impossible to see the dotted link focus outline.

Change the style to avoid obscuring the focus outline around focusable elements.

Using a border or outline style that obscures the focus ring causes problems for keyboard-only users in:

Chrome (obscures the focus indicator on links, buttons, dropdowns and range controls)

Firefox (obscures the focus indicator on links)

Internet Explorer (obscures the focus indicator on links, buttons and range controls)

Internet Explorer does not support the `outline-offset:` property, so using this does not reliably avoid focus outline overlap. WCAG 2.1 AA

We have carried out some accessibility fixes and are working to resolve the remaining issues by September 2021.

Disproportionate burden

We don’t categorise any of the accessibility issues on the website as a disproportionate burden to fix within the meaning of the regulations (with the exception of PDFs and other documents).

  • we carried out accessibility checks of the website and our interactive tools and transactions – as this is our most important content
  • we carried out basic checks of our other websites – as paying for detailed checks would be a disproportionate burden on our organisation
  •  we planned to be majority compliant by 23 September 2020     – as fixing every document would be a disproportionate burden on our organisation

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

You can find the complete list of content exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations on legislation.gov.uk.

Video

Live video streams may not include captions. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.2.4 Captions (Live). We may not add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Some pre-recorded videos published before 23 September 2020 do not include captions. This fails WCAG success criteria 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded). We may not add captions to these videos because pre-recorded video published before 23 September 2020 is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Some pre-recorded videos published before 23 September 2020 may require, but don’t include, audio description. This fails WCAG success criteria 1.2.5 Audio Description (Pre-recorded). We may not add audio description to these videos because pre-recorded video published before 23 September 2020 is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Maps

Online maps and mapping services are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. From 23 September 2020 are ensuring that where maps are intended for navigational use essential information is provided in an accessible digital manner.

Archived content

Any archived content is not within scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility   

We will continue working towards meeting WCAG level AA for the current version of the website, including:

  • content guidelines, which explain how to create accessible content
  • working with developers and editors to fix code and content issues with our website
  •  carrying out further accessibility testing involving people with disabilities and impairments

When we launch the next version of our website, we will aim for it to meet WCAG level AAA.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was last reviewed on 11 November 2020.

We carried out our testing on a sample of our most used pages, forms, documents and other media.

We used a combination of methods to check this website, including:

  • automated software (Powermapper)
  • manual sampling (using WAVE and other tools)

Libraries Unlimited believes…

…in the unlimited potential of library services to make a positive difference to people’s lives and communities through a shared love of reading and access to high quality information and facilities.