Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement for the University of Hertfordshire

This accessibility statement applies to herts.ac.uk.

This website is run by the University of Hertfordshire. 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

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

• some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
• some of our online forms (currently provided by third parties) are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
• not all images have an alt text
• some interactive elements are not actionable by using only a keyboard

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

• email websupport@herts.ac.uk
• call 01707 284000

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within seven working days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email us at ask@herts.ac.uk for directions.

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, contact websupport@herts.ac.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

We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

Our frontline services have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Find out how to contact the University.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Hertfordshire is committed to making its website 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 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.

Images

Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to add text alternatives for all images by December 2022. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

PDF documents

Some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (page titled). We plan to replace all PDF documents to meet this standard by December 2022. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our PDF documents meet accessibility standards.

Forms

Some of our online forms (currently provided by third parties) are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 (keyboard) and 2.4.7 (focus visible). We plan to work with third part suppliers to meet this standard by December 2022.

Interactive elements

Some interactive elements are not actionable by using only a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 (keyboard). We plan to ensure all buttons are accessible to keyboard users by December 2022.

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

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 1 September 2022. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2022.

This website was last tested on 1 September 2022. The test was carried out by the University of Hertfordshire.

We used this approach to deciding on a sample of pages to test: testing pages previously in scope of a Goverment Digital Service accessibility report (9 June 2022).