Accessibility Known Issues
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliance and exemptions listed below.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Images, Carousels, Audio & Visual Content
Alt text
Some images do not have a meaningful text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1.
By September 2021 all images will:
- Have meaningful text alternative.
- Purely decorative images will have blank alt text.
- Infographics and charts will have a link to a full description of the content.
All new images that are being added to the site now are compliant.
Images containing text
Some images include text as part of the image, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.5.
By September 2021 all images containing text will have a suitable text alternative to include the image text. New images won’t include text that forms part of the message.
Carousels
Carousels do not have obvious controls for users to stop the auto-rotate, which can cause people with cognitive disability that affect focus and concentration to be distracted making the site less accessible. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.2.2.
We are working with our developers to implement a fix for this issue over the coming months.
Contrast issues
Some elements have low contrast levels (eg the breadcrumb trail, copyright information on some images), which can result in text being difficult to read, especially for people with low vision, poor eyesight or colour blindness. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3.
We are working with our developers to implement a fix for this issue over the coming months.
Links
Link text
Some links do not use text that is meaningful out of context, which can result in users of screen readers not being able to understand the link without reading the surrounding text and users of speech recognition software being less able to target links accurately using voice commands. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4.
All links will be reviewed and fixed by September 2021
Inconsistent link behaviour
Some links to external sites open in a new browser window and some open in the same browser window making the site behaviour unpredictable, which can result in the site being less accessible for people with some cognitive disabilities and people who use screen readers. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.2.2.
All links to external websites will be reviewed and will open in the same browser window by September 2021
Structure
Headings
Not all headings are hierarchical, making the site more difficult for users of assistive technology such as screen readers to access. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1.
Heading have on occasion been used to highlight information rather than for headings, making the site more difficult for users of assistive technology to use. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.1 and 2.4.6.
Pages containing these issues will be reviewed and fixed by September 2021.
Keyboard operability
It isn’t possible to carry out all tasks using a keyboard (for example the dropdown navigation on the main horizontal navigation bar isn’t accessible), which can make the site less accessible to people with mobility impairments. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1.
We are working with our developers to implement a fix for this issue over the coming months.
CMS code
The CMS code is being checked to ensure that it meets the robust accessibility criteria 4.1.1, 4.1.2 & 4.1.3.
This will be done as part of an accessibility upgrade of the Haiku Content Management System to be completed in Autumn 2020.
Documents (Word & PDF)
Many of the documents (Word and PDF) on this site do not meet accessibility standards, which could result in them not being fully accessible to users of screen readers.
Documents that are essential to the service we provide will be either converted to HTML pages or replaced with accessible versions by September 2021. Any new documents published will meet accessibility standards.
Disproportionate burden
We do not consider any of the accessibility issues to be a disproportionate burden and aim to make the site fully compliant by September 2021.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Third-party content
Our site includes third party content and functionality. This may direct you to a related service, link to another site or supporting documentation. We are not responsible for the accessibility of third-party content or to other sites we link to.
This includes:
- YouTube videos
- Sound Cloud audio files
- Google maps
We will provide an accessible alternative to any third-party content that isn’t compliant.
Documents (Word & PDF)
This site has a small number of Word and PDF documents which were published before September 2018. These aren’t essential to the service we provide and won’t be replaced. If you experience any difficulties accessing these documents, please email georgina.kerr@medsci.ox.ac.uk. Any new documents published will meet accessibility standards.