Accessibility Statement
Accessibility Statement
Accessibility statement for University of East London (UEL) website
This accessibility statement applies to the University of East London (UEL) website, https://uel.ac.uk.
This website is run by UEL. 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; and
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA, Narrator and VoiceOver).
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
My Computer My Way 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. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the “Non-accessible content” section of this statement.
- Some elements do not receive adequate focus visibility or the focus order is not logical.
- Skip to content links may not function as expected.
- Some images do not have appropriate alternative text.
- Some video content may not have accessible text alternatives such as captions, audio descriptions, or transcripts.
- Some Portable Document Formats (PDF) documents are not fully accessible.
- Some pages do not have a logical or hierarchical heading structure.
- Some tables do not have appropriate semantic markup and may be difficult to navigate.
- Some form elements do not have a shared or accessible text label.
- Moving content does not always have controls to pause, stop or hide it.
- There are links and buttons that have ambiguous names.
- There are visible tabs which do not have the appropriate semantic mark up to allow screen reader users to interact with the tabs in the expected manner.
- There are status messages which are not announced to screen reader users.
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDFs, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, contact the Digital Team.
We'll consider your request and get back to you within 14 days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any issues we have not yet identified, or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, you can contact the Digital Team to report an accessibility problem. We will review the issue, include it in our improvement plans, and add it to this accessibility statement when it is next updated. Read tips on contacting organisation about inaccessible websites.
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 offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, or other support to help you visit us in person. We recommend giving us 2 weeks’ notice where possible to guarantee this.
Technical information about this website's accessibility
The University of East London 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 not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard. The non-compliances and exemptions are listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Images
We know some images use non-descriptive alt text where they should be marked as decorative, and some use non-descriptive alt text where they should have more meaningful alt text. This means that people using a screen reader hear text that is not necessary or not meaningful. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A).
We know that some thumbnail images appearing in video frames feature text that is not replicated in text that can be adjusted by users. This means that people cannot access any text information conveyed in thumbnail images. This fails WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text (Level AA).
Video
Videos are present which use auto-generated captions which do not accurately represent the spoken content. This fails WCAG 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded) (Level A).
Videos are present without a transcript available for users who require alternative formats. This fails WCAG 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Pre-recorded) (Level A) and 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Pre-recorded) (Level A).
Videos are embedded using the YouTube media player and implementing custom playback controls. These hide the native YouTube controls and introduce further barriers for users, such as controls not being visible when focused on by keyboard, and unclear or no labels on links. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A), 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A), 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (Level A), 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A), 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A), and 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA).
Colour
We know there are links and buttons that fail colour contrast requirements. This can be encountered with accordion controls and image card sliders. This means that people may not be able to perceive these elements. This fails WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (Level AA).
The phone number link in the website footer is identified by colour only. This means that people will not be able to distinguish the link from surrounding text. This fails WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Colour (Level A).
Structure
There are some pages that use a page title that does not adequately describe the content or purpose of the page. This means users may not understand what content they can expect to find on pages. This fails WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A).
We know the headings across the website have not always been used for text that introduces content across the website, or are not always set at the right level. This means that screen reader users may not be able to determine the layout of the page and quickly navigate to different sections. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and WCAG 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA).
Lists are not marked up correctly when events list multiple dates and times, and when social media icons are featured in the main content of event listings. This means that relationships between content will not be clear to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and 4.1.1 Parsing (Level A).
We know that some iframes across the website do not have meaningful labels using the title attribute. An example is the live chat (Intercom) frame. This means that people may not be able to determine which frame to enter. This fails WCAG 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
There is content across the website that is not marked up with the most appropriate HTML element. This means that people may misunderstand different types of content as they are identified incorrectly. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A).
There are duplicate IDs in the pink spotlight boxes in the main navigation and the feedback form button. There is also incidental invalid HTML, such as incomplete paragraph tags. This means that people may not be able to access this content if their browsers or assistive technologies cannot parse the content. This fails WCAG 4.1.1 Parsing (Level A).
We know there are unnecessary ARIA roles and invalid ARIA attributes across the website. This may cause unexpected issues and poor experience for assistive technology users. This fails WCAG 4.1.1 Parsing (Level A) and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
The website’s live chat (Intercom) is placed in the source code after the Back to Top button. This means that people may think they have reached the end of the page and miss the live chat button. This fails WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A).
Keyboard
We know the focus order between some elements across the website is incorrect, or elements receiving focus when they shouldn’t. This means that people who use a keyboard to navigate may find it difficult to understand or operate the web page. This fails WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A).
The focus indicator for some elements across the website is only partly or not visible. This can be encountered with accordion content and between videos on pages that feature them. This means that keyboard users may not understand their location on pages when they reach these elements. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA).
The Cookie settings link in the website footer cannot be actioned by keyboard-only users. This means that keyboard-only users are not able to access the Cookie settings dialog to customise their options. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A) and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
Navigation
Some pages feature instructions for navigating to or operating the live chat (Intercom) based solely on sensory characteristics. This means that people may not be able to understand instructions if they rely only on a description of the shape and/or location of content. This fails WCAG 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics (Level A).
Tooltips display for links in the Study section of the main website navigation and social media links in the footer. These are not dismissible by the keyboard or hoverable. This means that people may not be to dismiss them without disrupting their page experience. This fails WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA).
The website’s main menu does not open when the browser window is zoomed in at 200% or higher. Image cards also do not resize appropriately when zoomed in at 200% or higher. This means that people who need to browse pages at a higher scale will not be able to access this content. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text (Level AA).
We know that progressive reveals (also known as modals or secondary screens) may force users to scroll sideways to be able to access content. This means that people with low vision who need to enlarge text or read it in a single column may miss content hidden to one side and require significant more effort to read. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (Level AA).
The “Skip to main content” link does not skip to the correct area of search landing pages. This means that people using this link are unable to skip to the correct area. This fails WCAG 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A).
Form elements
The course search component, cookie settings, and the website feedback form have form elements which do not have a shared or common label. This means that screen reader users may find the forms ambiguous when viewed out of context. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A), and 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A).
The live chat (Intercom) image button does not have a meaningful name or alternative text that describes the purpose of the button. This means that people may not understand the purpose or function of the button. This fails WCAG 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA).
PDFs
We know that incorrect tags have been used in some PDF documents. This means that people may not be able to navigate effectively through the PDF document, particularly if they are screen reader users. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A).
We know that PDFs may not have a document title. This means that people may encounter the document file path as the title, which may cause confusion or difficulty, particularly if they are screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A).
Updating content
We know that updating content such as search results refreshing and displaying, and character counters in text boxes are not announced without receiving focus. This means that screen reader users are unaware that content has refreshed. This fails WCAG 4.1.3 Status Messages (Level AA).
Links
We know there are links across the website that are not always descriptive of their intended purpose or destination. There are also links that use identical “title” attributes alongside the accessible name, or links with the same meaningful name that go to different destinations. This means that people may be unable to skip links that they are not interested in, or may be unable to determine the purpose of a link without leaving the link to explore its context. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A).
Phone number links may not always be descriptive of what their destination is, or communicated in an easily understandable way. This means that people using screen readers may not understand they are phone numbers or what service they are for. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A).
We know that links to document downloads do not contain information on the file format and size. This means that people navigating the content non-visually will not be able to access this information. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A).
Course pages
Undergraduate
There are tables used that are not marked up appropriately using semantic HTML and attributes. This means that people using assistive technologies may not be able to navigate the tables, or understand their structure and purpose. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A). There are tabs present which do not use the appropriate semantic HTML. Tabs are also used more widely across the website. This means that people using screen readers cannot interact with the content in a meaningful way. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name Role, Value (Level A). We have designed a new, accessible tabs component that will incrementally replace the current across the website.
Postgraduate
There are tables used that are not marked up appropriately using semantic HTML and attributes. This means that people using assistive technologies may not be able to navigate the tables, or understand their structure and purpose. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A).
Office for Students (OfS) DiscoverUni widget
The DiscoverUni widget is an Office for Students (OfS) mandated component that higher education institutions in the UK must display on course pages. We know there are accessibility issues with this widget. A new version of the widget will introduce some improvements which may address the issues outlined. We will implement the new version of the widget on our course pages in March 2024.
The widget does not feature an appropriate frame title. There are also issues with the focus order and focus indicator. This means that people may be confused or disoriented while navigating the widget, and not understand the structure of the widget information. It can also cause issues for screen readers. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A), 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A), 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA), and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
The widget automatically updates and cannot be paused, stopped or hidden. This means that people have trouble reading stationary text quickly, as well as anyone who has trouble tracking moving objects, may face difficulty accessing the content. It can also cause issues for screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A).
There are issues with text colour contrast where the minimum requirement is not met. This means that people may not be able to perceive certain text content. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA).
Please refer to the DiscoverUni widget accessibility case study (opens in new window) for more information.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
We are developing a digital accessibility roadmap to show how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website. We will publish this by the end of February 2024.
We are working to address the non-compliances and issues outlined in this statement under the “Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations” section. We are prioritising the issues with the highest impact on users to address by end of October 2024. All issues will be included in the digital accessibility roadmap for improvement as soon as possible.
The roadmap is prioritised as follows:
- High priority: fix issues in site-wide components and templates (e.g., header, footer, site navigation)
- Medium priority: fix issues in any reusable components (e.g., accordion component, image cards)
- Low priority: fix issues in individual page elements (content that is unique to a page)
This approach will help us ensure our core site elements are improved as soon as feasible. The roadmap will align with the Digital Team’s roadmap for 2024 to ensure smooth delivery for results. If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.
Disproportionate burden
At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. We are currently working on fixing these essential documents or replacing them with accessible html web pages. Our goals for remediation will be included in our accessibility roadmap, which will be published by the end of February 2024.
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
3rd party content
Some of our services include third party content which we have no control over, such as:
- links to non-UEL websites,
- content hosted on other websites, such as social media sites,
- documents which are sent to us and uploaded.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to manage these kinds of content, but if you have a problem with any of the content hosted on this website, please contact us using the methods above and we will try to help.
Video content
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We also have some existing pre-recorded video content that was published before the 23rd September 2020. This content is also exempt from the regulations and will be phased out over time. All new video content we produce will have appropriate captions, audio descriptions and transcripts as necessary.
Online maps
Our website includes the use of online maps to show certain geographical information. These are not used for navigational purposes and are exempt under the regulations. If you require the information presented in an online map in a different format, please contact us to discuss alternative formats.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 17 October 2022. It was last reviewed on 15 February 2024.
This website was tested on 5 October 2022. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre.
A retest was carried out by the UEL Digital Team, concluding on 13 December 2023. A sample of webpages were tested and covered key user journeys, as well as main templates used on the website. Testing was completed using a combination of automated, manual, and assistive technology tests.
Testing was completed against WCAG 2.1 as the latest version of WCAG at the time of testing. Following the regulations update on 26/10/23 requiring testing against WCAG 2.2 after release, this website will next be tested against the WCAG 2.2 standards.