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Accessibility statement for www.bristol.ac.uk

 

This statement applies to content published on the www.bristol.ac.uk domain. It does not apply to content on subdomains, our intranet or other platforms.

There are separate accessibility statements for digital teaching and learning tools, including the Blackboard virtual learning environment.

This website is run by the University of Bristol. 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 problems on most of the website
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

The text should be clear and simple to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

On this page

How accessible this website is

Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:

  • some of our online forms are difficult to complete using a screen reader
  • some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • some pages and document attachments are not written in plain English
  • some heading elements are not consistent
  • some images do not have image descriptions
  • many documents are in PDF format and are not accessible.

We will update the statement when we fix these issues, or when we can provide an expected date for a fix.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, use the 'Feedback' link at the bottom of the page in question.

In your message, include:

  • the web address (URL) of the content
  • your email address and name
  • the format you need – for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We want to improve the accessibility of this website whenever possible. If you find any problems that we have not listed on this page or if you think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, email web-editor@bristol.ac.uk.

Enforcement procedure

If you contact us with a complaint and you're not happy with our response, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

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').

Technical information about this website's accessibility

The University of Bristol is 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 partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  1. Images on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  2. Some pages cannot be found through more than one type of navigation. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways).
  3. Pages using our older templates cannot zoom to 400% without text spilling horizontally off the screen. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 (Reflow).
  4. Some content looks like headings but is not. This makes it difficult for screen reader users to navigate the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  5. Some pages have poor colour contrast. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Colour).
  6. Many pages do not have a logical tab order when navigating the page using a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order). We will fix this issue in the next 4 to 6 months.
  7. Some form elements on our website do not have appropriate labels, making it difficult for users to understand what form elements are for. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions).
  8. Some pages contain lists which are not correctly marked up. This makes it difficult for screen reader users to know it's a list. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  9. Some pages contain non-text content which is not accessible through the use of a text alternative. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  10. Some pages do not provide a mechanism to bypass repeated blocks of content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks).
  11. Some pages fail to give structural context to users using assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  12. Some pages have content and functionality which users cannot use with a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
  13. Some PDF documents do not have titles that describe the topic or purpose of the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
  14. Many documents are in less accessible formats, for example PDF. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format.

Unless otherwise stated, all issues above will be fixed where possible as part of our web transformation project by the end of 2023.

PDFs and non-HTML documents

Many documents are not accessible in several ways, including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

To report any problems or request documents in an alternative format, use the 'Feedback' link at the bottom of the page that links to the document in question.

Disproportionate burden

At present we do not claim disproportionate burden for anything. However this may change, following further review and testing.

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

What we're doing to improve accessibility

Since September 2020, staff who are new to web publishing must complete training to learn what they need to do to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

Staff who were already publishing web content before September 2020 are encouraged to access the same training.

Web Transformation project

In Autumn 2022 we will begin a Web Transformation project, as part of the University's Digital Strategy. This includes significant activity to improve accessibility across the website, and we will make sure that we include any issues that we do not fix immediately in the relevant areas of programme delivery.

The project vision is to better meet our users' needs by making our digital products and services clearer, simpler, faster and more accessible.

Project impact on accessibility

  • Our new design system, components and guidelines will be fully accessible from the outset.
  • Tools and applications will be audited for accessibility, and our new tech roadmap will focus on accessibility as a priority.
  • By consolidating and standardising our digital estate we will be better able to monitor and manage accessibility across digital products and services.
  • Accessibility will be impacted through the delivery of new guidelines and training for web editors, as well as regular content management, including annual accessibility auditing. 
  • Removing a large amount of legacy content will reduce the amount of inaccessible content on our website.
  • Accessibility will be a core acceptance criteria for all web service solutions chosen/developed, and centralisation and standardisation will help us monitor and ensure accessibility across the digital estate.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 27 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 25 October 2022.

This website was last tested on 26 July 2022. The test was carried out by the University of Bristol using automated auditing software (SiteBulb) to test all pages across the site. The website was also manually audited by Hassell Inclusion in July 2022, looking at a sample of pages focussing on the most common user journeys.

What is web accessibility and why is it important?

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