Accessibility at USW
Accessibility statement for USW Website
This accessibility statement applies to https://www.southwales.ac.uk
This website is run by the University of South Wales. 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)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is.
Our website has many sections, which are delivered with different systems. We have collected issues we’ve found under the sections they relate to. We hope this will make it easier for you to access the information you need.
The Main recruitment website (starting at www.southwales.ac.uk) has the following issues
We know some parts of the website are not fully accessible.
You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the non-accessible content section of this statement.
Alternative formats
We've designed our content to be as accessible as possible. However, if you experience barriers, you can request alternate formats. For more information, please email [email protected] or contact us.
Feedback and contact information
Please contact us if you have an accessibility query, including:
- If you are experiencing issues with accessing information or using the website
- If you find an accessibility problem not listed on this statement
- If you have positive feedback on the accessibility considerations made.
When contacting us, please provide:
- The web address of the page where you found the problem.
- A description of the problem (and whether this was mobile or desktop).
- The name and, if possible, version of the web browser being used.
- Details of any assistive technology being used (for example, a screen reader).
Email [email protected] or contact us.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please email [email protected].
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
Find out how to contact us contact us.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The University of South Wales is committed to making this 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 version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
We formally test the accessibility of our website on a regular basis against WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Some parts of the website may not work for everyone. Below are known issues that we either need to fix, cannot fix, or do not need to fix right now. If you find something that does not work that we missed, remember to contact us.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
This section covers issues that we need to fix and are working to do so.
We may need to work with 3rd party suppliers to fix some issues.
Main USW Website
There are multiple footer variants across the site which do not always show the same consistent navigation items. This may make it harder to navigate the site depending on what page a user is on. This fails WCAG 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation (AA).
Development planned to fix this in March 2023. (Ref 3)
Some search fields and other form fields across the website are validating before information is entered. This may confuse some screen reader users into thinking incorrect information has been entered. This fails WCAG 3.3.1 Error Identification (A).
We are looking for ways to fix this and will identify a solution before end of April 2022. (Ref 12)
The home page uses a banner image with text which can cause problems for users who need to adjust how visual content like font size, spacing or colours are displayed. This fails WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text (AA) and 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A).
Scheduled to release fix on March 28, 2023. (Ref: 11)
The home page uses a banner image which contains information not included in text and acts as a link. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A), 1.4.5 Images of Text (AA) and 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A).
Alt text has been corrected on 3rd August 2022. (Ref: 11)
Scheduled to release fix March 28, 2023, for 1.4.5 and 2.4.4 (Ref: 11)
Some video content across the website does not include complete media alternative options and includes information which is only presented visually. This exists on video content regarding open days and other student engagement content. This fails WCAG 1.2.3 Audio Descriptions and Media Alternatives (A).
In progress - Voiceover has been arranged. (Ref: 27)
Image Carousels on our website cannot be accessed by keyboard controls. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A).
We are looking for ways to fix this and will identify a solution before end of April 2023. (Ref: 32, 35) Carousel audit in progress.
Image Carousels do not have alt text available. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).
We are looking for ways to fix this and will identify a solution before end of April 2023. (Ref: 37)
Booking Form
When a user incorrectly submits a form there is no audio cue for screen reader users. This fails WCAG 3.3.1 Error Identification (A).
We are looking for ways to fix this and will identify a solution before end of April 2023. (Ref: 45)
Radio button options and combo box form fields on booking forms are not clearly identified to screen reader users and may make the form hard to complete. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A), 2.5.3 Label in Name (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).
We are looking for ways to fix this and will identify a solution before end of April 2023. (Ref: 43)
There are some validation errors across the site such as duplicate IDs. This fails WCAG 4.1.1 Parsing (A).
We are looking for ways to fix this and will identify a solution before end of April 2023. (Ref: 48)
Partner College Section
Text across the Partner College section may not meet colour contrast requirements especially in cases where interactive elements have changed colours to show focus. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum (AA).
Development planned to fix this in March 2023.
Some images on the Partner College section also work as links which do not have clear associated text. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).
Development planned to fix this in March 2023.
If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.
Ongoing improvements are made dynamically throughout the year following feedback from our ongoing audit processes and users.
Disproportionate burden
We are not claiming a disproportionate burden for our website.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
At this time, we have not identified any content that is not within scope of the accessibility regulations.
Our testing processes
A representative sample of pages of the website were tested along with a sample of the documents from each area of the website against the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines using automated tools (axe DevTools Pro v4.4.2 and Microsoft Accessibility Insights) on Google Chrome and Firefox browsers on Mac OSX and Windows.
For third-party applications, we have sourced accessibility statements from suppliers directly (wherever possible).
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
The University of South Wales is doing the following to improve accessibility:
- We are developing a Digital Accessibility Policy
- We have a Digital Accessibility Working Group to monitor and coordinate Digital Accessibility of our Services and Systems
- We are engaging suppliers to assist in Accessibility training
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This website was last tested on 29/07/2022. The test was carried out by All Able Ltd.
This statement was prepared on October 3, 2022.
It was last reviewed on March 1, 2023.
This accessibility statement is reviewed annually.