Accessibility Statement
Accessibility Statement for West Berkshire Council
This accessibility statement applies to the West Berkshire Council Directory website.
This website is run by West Berkshire Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. This means you should be able to:
· Zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
· 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 easy to understand.
This website is designed to be compliant with the international standard Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 (WCAG) – Level AA.
How accessible is this website?
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. These are listed below and you can see a more detailed list of these issues in the non-accessible section of this statement.
· This website uses JavaScript to deliver certain features. Please make sure you have JavaScript turned on within your browser to deliver full features
· Our Directory page is not fully accessible on a mobile device
· Some of our content pages and forms are not fully accessible
Further information on accessibility options
The RNIB has a webpage with information on options which can make it easier for people with low or no vision to use their computers - RNIB Accessibility Options
How to use this website?
Accessible Alternatives
Every effort has been made to create accessible alternatives for content that doesn't meet standards.
Where appropriate we may be able to deliver content to users in accordance with their needs.
Please contact us for further details.
Purpose of Links
The website uses links to navigate. External links will open in a new window.
Where possible, an external link will be described within the link text so users understand the link’s purpose. However, in certain areas of the website adding this extra description wouldn't be appropriate.
Our definition for external links:
External Links will be used for any content that has known limitations with assistive technologies OR navigates a user away from secure platforms. In summary, this means the following items are considered external links –
(A) Non-HTML Documentation (See “Issues with PDFs and other documents”)
(B) Redirection away from secure platforms
(C) External websites that are not part of council website.
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems that aren’t listed within this statement, or don't believe we're meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations please contact us using the details on our Contact Us page.
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).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
West Berkshire Council are committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance Status
This website is not fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the following non-compliances and exemptions listed in the following chapter.
Non-accessible content
This sub-section lists issues that fail the current accessibility regulations. The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Mobile Issues
It has been discovered during testing that there are specific accessibility issues for mobile devices.
The hamburger menu does not have a visible accessible label. Saying “Main Menu” using voice recognition software will not open the hamburger menu. This fails success criteria 2.5.3: Label in Name (AA) of the accessibility standards. For a workaround, please say “Toggle navigation” to activate the menu.
The filter facet menu cannot be accessed when viewing the directory on a mobile screen (at 200% zoom). However, the directory does work at 150% zoom.
Our web developers are currently working on a fix which will be deployed shortly.
Keyboard navigation issues
There are also known keyboard navigation issues on our page header this affects all pages on the website. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.3 Content on Hover or Focus (AA). The directory dropdown in the header is not easily dismissible using just a keyboard.
The amount of facets in the filters menu directory does not show some facets when a keyboard user attempts to focus on them this fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum).
Our web developers are currently working on these fixes and will be deployed in the shortest possible time.
Landmark issues
Some landmarks that appear on forms and directory pages are not appropriately labelled. This may cause issues for some screen reader users. Most landmarks that are used are correctly labelled and appear inside top-level landmarks. This fails Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).
Top-Level landmarks are used correctly on all page templates including the Search Directories
We would advise screen-reader users to use heading levels and bypass blocks to navigate around pages. We are currently reviewing these pages and providing feedback to our web developers.
Content Issues
It has been discovered during testing that some content pages do not meet the required accessibility regulations.
Failures from these items include:-
· Lack of alt text on some images. This fails Success Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A)
· Heading levels are not always used in the correct way. This fails Success Criterion 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (AA)
· HTML tables are not always clearly labelled. This fails Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A)
· Link text is undescriptive on some pages. This fails Success Criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A)
We are currently reviewing these pages and providing feedback to our web developers.
We will ensure that future content published will adhere to accessibility standards.
Form Issues
It has been discovered during testing that some of our integrated forms do not meet the required accessibility regulations. This may cause issues for some screen reader users. Our website provider is currently in the process of fixing these issues.
Disproportionate burden
There are no issues that are considered a disproportionate burden in accordance with the regulations.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
The new version of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG 2.2 were published on 5th October 2023.
This will replace WCAG 2.1 as the legally required accessibility standard in October 2024.
We are working with our website provider to ensure we meet this deadline by 30th September 2024.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on the 11th June 2024. It will be reviewed every year in accordance with the regulations. It was last reviewed on that date.
This website was last tested on 6th June 2024.
To prepare this statement an accessibility test was carried out by People Places Lives QA Team. The most viewed pages were tested using automated testing tools by our website team. A further audit of the website was carried out to the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.