Accessibility Known Issues
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons
Issues with Audio and Images
Audio
Not all audio only files have a transcript, making the content inaccessible to website users who cannot hear. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.1.
- Transcripts of audio files can be made available upon request.
Images
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.
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.
- We are working to address these images issues by 30 April 2021.
Issues with Navigation, Structure, Links and Keyboard Operability
Navigation
Not all page titles are unique or indicate the page's topic or purpose, which can result in people with cognitive disabilities being unable to quickly orientate themselves within the site and identify the purpose of the page without interpreting its entire contents. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2.
Some pages use tables without header rows to structure content, making them less accessible to people using assistive technology. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1.
- We are working to address these navigation issues by September 2021.
Structure
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.
Headings 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.
The content of some pages is not in logical order if the styling is removed through use of assistive technologies. This fails the WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.2.
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.
- We are working to address these structural issues by September 2021.
Links
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.
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.
- We are working to address these links issues by September 2021.
Keyboard operability
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 fixes for these keyboard operability issues over the coming months
Issues with Contrast and Visual Characteristics
Contrast
Some elements have low contrast levels (e.g. image copyright), 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 criteria 1.4.3.
- We are working with our developers to implement a fix for this issue over the coming months
Visual characteristics
Some pages use visual characteristics (shape, size, colour or location) to communicate instructions, which means that users who are unable to see or recognise information communicated using sensory characteristics are unable to perceive that information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.3.
- All pages with be reviewed and fixed by September 2021
Issues with Content, Documents and Content Management System
Content
The line height, spacing between paragraphs and letter and word spacing cannot be changed without loss of content or functionality. This means that people with low vision, dyslexia or cognitive disabilities may struggle to read the text, or lose content or functionality. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.12.
When using mobile or tablet devices, it may not be possible to dismiss or interact with some extra content (i.e. pop-up images) without moving focus or it disappearing. This may cause problems for disabled or sight impaired users as pop-up content may be accidentally triggered or pop-up content may not stay on the screen. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.13.
- We are working with our developers to implement fixes for these issues over the coming months
Documents
Many of the PDF documents on this site do not meet accessibility standards, which could result in them not being fully accessible to users of screen readers.
- The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix the working papers in the RSC series.
- Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards by 31 December 2020.
Issues with Content Management System (CMS)
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.
Content 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 wherever possible.
Documents
This site has a number of documents which were published before September 2018. These are not essential to the service we provide and will not be replaced. If you experience any difficulties accessing these documents, please email rsc@qeh.ox.ac.uk.
Video and audio content
This site has pre-recorded audio and video content that was published before 23 September 2020, which is exempt from the accessibility regulations as it does not contain instructional content.
Archived content
This site contains archived content, which is exempt from the accessibility regulations. The archived content is all internal announcements and external news stories published prior to 23 September 2018, but which have not since been updated.