Accessibility Statement for Q-Step Academy website

Website accessibility statement inline with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

This accessibility statement applies to https://q-step-academy.ed.ac.uk/

This website is run by the Communications and Engagement team in the School of Social and Political Science on behalf of The University of Edinburgh. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 200% 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
  • experience no time limit upon use

Customising the website

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:
AbilityNet – My Computer My Way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:
Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:
Information on SensusAccess

How accessible this website is

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

  • It may be difficult to use this site with screen readers
  • Access to all content may not be possible by using the keyboard alone, with the point of navigation not immediately clear
  • Some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • Not all colour contrasts meet the recommended Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, including accessible PDF, large print, audio recording or braille, please contact the SPS Communications and Engagement Team:

We will consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are 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 contact the SPS Communications and Engagement Team:

We will consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.

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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly:
Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:
Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website

Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language

British Sign Language service
contactSCOTLAND-BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 
contactSCOTLAND-BSL service details

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

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

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

The full guidelines are available at:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard

Non-accessible content

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

Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations

The following items do not comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:

  • Not all non-text content has a text alternative. Not all our PDF’s meet accessibility standards (see “What we’re doing” below)
    1.1.1: Non-text Content
  • The order of heading tags is not ordered correctly on all pages. Heading levels are occasionally skipped (see “What we’re doing” below)
    1.3.1: Info and Relationships
  • There is not sufficient colour contrast between font and background colours. Low contrast on page banners site-wide.
    1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum)
  • It is not possible to access all the content using a keyboard only.
    2.1.1: Keyboard
  • Adjacent links go to the same URL. (see “What we’re doing” below)
    2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)

Disproportionate burden 

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix. 

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

At the time of writing, we are not aware of any content that is not out with the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility 

We will continue to address the accessibility issues highlighted. Where issues are within our direct control, we will work to provide a significant improvement by December 2020 and aim to resolve all issues by June 2021. We will prioritise the issues we have identified with the use of keyboard navigation and with the use of Screen Readers with the aim of resolving these as quickly as possible.

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website. 

Ongoing improvements (September 2020):

1.1.1 Non-text Content 
Not all non-text content presented to users had alternative text. Decorative images do not require alt text but we are adding in brief descriptions to ensure screen reader users get as complete an experience as possible. We will review all PDF formats on the site and ensure they are accessible.

1.3.1: Info and Relationships 
The order of heading tags was not ordered correctly on all pages. This will be updated site-wide to ensure heading levels are not skipped.

1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum)
There is a contrast issue with the page banners and text overlay on the site. Contrast will get updated site-wide to ensure it meets guidelines.

2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)
We are combining redundant links into one link and removing any redundant text or alternative text.

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 7 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2020.

This website was developed with accessibility principles in mind. It was tested by the SPS Communications and Engagement Team in September 2020, primarily using Firefox and Chrome browsers. We carried out manual testing alongside automated testing using WAVE WebAim and the Little Forest web governance service.

We tested: 

  • Spellcheck functionality
  • Scaling using different resolutions
  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour et. cetera)
  • Keyboard navigation
  • Warning of links opening in a new tab or window
  • Information conveyed in colour or sound only
  • Flashing or scrolling text
  • Use with assistive software e.g Read&Write
  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content