Online Application Website Accessibility Statement
Updated 22 September 2020
Scope & Ownership
University of the West of Scotland (the "University", "us", "our" or "we") is committed to making our web presence as accessible as possible and we endeavour to make our website compliant withd The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG2.1).
The website referred to in this statement is our online application website ("the website", "our website", "this website", "the site"). We run a number of other publically available websites but these will have their own accessibility statements.
Using the Website
The website is built on the Ellucian Banner ERP. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, the text can be resized freely on the platform.
What to do if you can’t access parts of this website
If you have a digital accessibility issue, question or comment relating to our website please contact us using the details below:
- E-mail: web@uws.ac.uk
- Postal address: Admissions Office, Marketing & Student Recruitment, University of the West of Scotland, High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BE
Remember to let us know exactly what it is you’re trying to find out about as this will help us help you. You can contact us if you:
- are experiencing issues with accessing information or using the website
- find an accessibility problem not listed in this statement
- have positive feedback on the accessibility considerations made
- need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF or MS Word (please note that we cannot, at present, supply content in every format but will do our best to accommodate your needs)
We aim to respond to your email in 21 working days.
Enforcement procedure
We aim to meet the needs of all our website users as best we can. 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 are not satisfied with our response and would like to make a complaint, please check our complaints procedure. 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
University of the West of Scotland is committed to making this 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 2.1 (WCAG2.1) - AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Structure
Heading levels have been omitted and web pages are incorrectly marked up within a table. This fails success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 2.4.2 (Page Titled), 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
Keyboard accessibility
No keyboard focus indicator. This fails success criteria 2.4.7 (Focus Visible), 2.4.11 (Focus Visible (Enhanced)).
Skip links
No skip link is included on the platform pages. Offering a skip link to move keyboard users straight to the ‘Find a Programme’ would be beneficial. This fails success criteria 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks).
Labels and instructions
Input fields and list boxes are not programmatically associated with their respective labels. These fail success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose), 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). Input fields should always have a description that is explicitly associated with the field to make sure that users of assistive technologies will understand the purpose of the field.
Form errors
In-line error messages are not always clear in relation to what the error is and how it can be corrected. Error messages are also not programmatically associated to their input fields. This fails success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose), 3.3.1 (Error Identification), 3.3.3 (Error Suggestion).
Form select boxes have no descriptions and fail success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions), 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
Alternative text
The university logo image does not have appropriate alternative text. This fails success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
Layout and appearance
Reflowing at 400% causes some dropdown items not to be fully visible. This fails success criteria 1.4.10 (Reflow).
Colour
Colour contrast is not sufficient for the UWS footer logo, all footer text and placeholder text. This fails success criteria 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum).
Page elements
The pages contain element IDs that are not unique. This fails success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 4.1.1 (Parsing).
Disproportionate burden
None
Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulation
None
How we tested
We have undertaken a manual digital accessibility assessments of the website. In addition, we undertake regular automated digital accessibility assessments of the website.
The University carried out a self-evaluation using a sector-leading, automated website governance platform (Siteimprove) to identify non-compliance issues. In addition, a manual digital accessibility review (involving 3 pages) of the website was undertaken by AbilityNet Limited on the 27 August 2020.
Details of assessments undertaken are included below:
Manual Digital Accessibility Assessment
The manual digital accessibility assessment of the website was undertaken on the 27 August 2020. It was carried out by AbilityNet Ltd and consisted of 2 pages using 10 accessibility tests.
Pages tested:
- https://ssb.uws.ac.uk/BANProd/zoadm_online_app.p_find_programme - Find a Programme
- https://ssb.uws.ac.uk/BANProd/zoadm_online_app.p_proc_login - Application (Stage 1)
Automated Digital Accessibility Assessment
The website is also assessed using a sector-leading, automated website governance platform to identify website errors, warnings - Siteimprove.
Using the Siteimprove platform, an automated digital accessibility review of the website is undertaken every 5 days.
Last Updated
This statement was prepared on 22 September 2020. We update this statement at least annually and will next review it in December 2020.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are committed to ensuring that our website is accessible to all. This requires regular and ongoing website accessibility monitoring and improvement activities. To assist in these activities, we have engaged a sector-leading web governance platform - Siteimprove.
We are also committed to ensuring that digital accessibility is embedded in the digital creation and development process and this entails a programme of staff training in a variety of areas of digital accessibility from understanding WCAG 2.1 through to creating accessible documents with Adobe InDesign depending upon roles.
Last updated: 22/09/2020