Accessibility statement for the Scotchem website

This statement applies to content published on the www.scotchem.ac.uk domain, run by ScotChem and the University of St Andrews. It does not apply to content on any other university domain.

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 400% 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
  • 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 as simple as possible to understand.

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

You can also explore some of our recommendations for tools that can make your online experience better.

How accessible this website is

We regularly check and redevelop sections of the ScotChem website to improve accessibility and usability.

Some areas of inaccessibility include:

  • Some pages and document attachments are not clearly written.
  • PDFs and other documents may not meet accessibility standards.
  • Some heading elements are not consistent.
  • Colour contrast might not be sufficient in certain circumstances.
  • Some images do not have good alternative text.
  • Same link text may be used to point to multiple destinations.
  • ID elements may not be unique.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

  • email: [email protected]
  • phone: +44 (0)1334 46 3333
    (please mention Research Computing when you call)

We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact Research Computing:

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 have induction loops in main lecture venues, and we have portable loops that may be set up if requested in advance. We also have a Roger pen to assist visitors who use hearing aids.

We can provide a text relay service for people who are Deaf, deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment who are contacting us by phone.

British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via the online BSL Video Relay Interpreting service from Contact Scotland BSL. We will also endeavour to arrange a BSL interpreter for visiting individuals that need that support, but this should be requested in advance as availability is limited.

Find out how to contact the University.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

ScotChem and the University of St Andrews are committed to making the ScotChem 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 (WCAG) 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

Images

Images may not have an appropriate text alternative. When these are discovered, we review and correct.

PDFs and other attached documents

Some PDFs and other documents may not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be accessible to screen reader software.

Some of our PDFs and other attached documents are essential to providing our services. We will review and replace PDFs and documents with HTML pages where possible.

Links without meaningful text

Some link text doesn’t make sense when read on its own (for example, ‘click here’) and there are instances where text is difficult to read (Success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose – In Context).

We will correct link text over time as we review each page. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure link text meets accessibility standards and follows plain English guidelines.

Forms

There are forms and interactive elements which do not meet multiple AA success criteria including, but not limited to:

  • Images containing text (1.4.5)
  • Headings and labels (2.4.6)

Issues with focus indicator

Some elements may not always display effective focus indication when interacting with elements (Success criterion 2.4.7 Focus visible).

Incorrect or missing labels

There are some label and aria-labelled by tags that are not referencing the correct field, alongside some missing labels (Success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content).

Input field has no description

Input fields should always have a description that is explicitly associated with the field to make sure that users of assistive technologies will also know what the field is for (Success criterion – 1.3.1 Info and Relationships).

ID elements are not unique

Unique IDs are required and helpful for screen readers (Success criterion – 1.3.1 Info and Relationships).

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

PDFs and other attached documents

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

Pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020

We do not plan to add captions or transcripts to all pre-recorded audio and video media as this is exempt if published before 23 September 2020.

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

We are currently working on improving sections of this site to address outstanding accessibility issues.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13 June 2024. It was last reviewed and updated on 26 September 2024.