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Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement: University of South Wales website

This accessibility statement applies to:
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.

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 (WCAG) 2.2 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 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.

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 University Website

https://www.southwales.ac.uk

Global Accessibility Concerns:

  1. Alternative Text Deficiencies: A number of images across the site lack appropriate alternative text descriptions, hindering the experience for users who rely on screen readers.
    This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A)
    We’re working to continuously improve this.

  2. A number of our links open in new tabs without explaining behaviour to the users.
    This fails WCAG 3.2.5 Change on Request (A).
    Fix schedule TBC with supplier.

  3. Some of our PDFs lack a valid title.
    This fails WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (A)
    We’re working to continuously improve this.

  4. Some of our PDFs need to be tagged in a valid reading order for accessibility.
    This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).
    We’re working to continuously improve this.

  5. Embeded iframes sometimes lack accessible titles. This fails WCAG:
    We’re working to continuously improve this.

  6. Across the website there are various focus indication failures where elements do not receive clearly visible focus indication, such as some interactive controls not being clearly selected or on occasion where there are invisible social media icons which disrupt focus and the keyboard journey.
    Fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA).
    Fix schedule TBC with supplier.

Specific Content-Related Accessibility Issues:

  1. Carousel Touch Interactivity: Carousels displaying testimonials are not optimized for touch interaction on smaller devices, lacking the necessary touch target size and spacing.
    This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).
    Fix schedule TBC with supplier.

  2. Carousel Navigation Labelling: The navigation icons within the testimonial carousels are devoid of accessible labels, rendering them non-navigable via assistive technologies.
    This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).
    Fix schedule TBC with supplier.

  3. Media-grid images: When our website is viewed on small screens like mobile phones, we need to ensure pages don’t scroll in two dimensions. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA)
    Fix schedule TBC with supplier.

  4. Event Slider Item Headers: Titles are inappropriately coded for their headings.  This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).
    Fix schedule TBC with supplier.
     

 
Booking Form

  1. 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).
    The Booking form will be replaced in November 2024.

  2. 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).
    The Booking form will be replaced in November 2024.
  3. There are some validation errors across the site such as duplicate IDs. This fails WCAG 4.1.1 Parsing (A).
    The Booking form will be replaced in November 2024.

 
Partner College Section

  1. 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).
    Website in the process of migration to new CMS.

  2. 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).
    Website in the process of migration to new CMS.

 
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 selection of web pages and documents from various sections of the site were tested for compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA guidelines. Automated tools, including axe DevTools Pro v4.10.0 and Google Chrome Lighthouse 12.2.0, were used for testing. The tests were conducted on both Mac OSX and Windows, using Firefox and Chrome browsers.

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 1st October 2024.

This statement was prepared on 1st October 2024.

It was last reviewed on 1st October 2024.

This accessibility statement is reviewed annually.

 

 

Digital Accessibility

If you have any questions or feedback regarding the accessibility of this website or our publications, or if you experience any difficulty, please contact us.

[email protected]