Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20 February 2023.

This accessibility statement applies to the Worcestershire County Council website

This is an interim accessibility statement.

We are aware that there are some outstanding accessibility issues with the site and we are in the process of rectifying these issues as well as the preparation of a more detailed accessibility statement.

This website is run by Worcestershire County Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • zoom in without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard (including skip to content or skip to main navigation)
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader
  • use the Family Information Directory by Synergy; the system complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1. AA standard
  • use the Meetings, agendas and minutes Portal (Post April 2014) by Civica; the system complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1. AA standard
  • use the Procurement Portal by In-Tend Limited; the system complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1. AA standard
  • attend the online events that we host via Zoom; for more information please visit Zoom - Accessibility

AbilityNet 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 aren’t fully accessible:

  • most older PDF documents aren’t fully accessible to screen reader software
  • live video streams do not have captions
  • some navigation menu, carousel and collapsible components may not be fully accessible to keyboard or screen reader users

Feedback and contact information

We are still preparing our full accessibility statement. If you need to get in contact please refer to our customer services page.

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact: equality@worcestershire.gov.uk.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact: digitaldesigners@worcestershire.gov.uk.

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

Some of our offices and libraries have audio induction loops. You may wish to check whether a loop is available before your visit, please see the contact us page.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Worcestershire County Council 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 listed in the Non accessible content section.

Non-accessible content

We are still auditing our site to be able to define the full list of accessibility issues and when these can be fixed.

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Issues with menus and navigation

  • some menus do not have appropriate labelling to ensure users on a screen reader can decipher collapsible content, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.6
     
  • some interactive elements and navigation elements are inconsistent throughout the site, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 and 3.2.3
     
  • text on some focus elements and forms do not meet minimum contrast, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3

We plan to fix the issues in due course.

Issues with text

  • some text is not large enough; this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4

  • some download links may not sense when read on their own; this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4

  • the same link text is used for links going to different destinations; this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4

  • some table headings are missing a scope, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1

  • lists of related links should be written semantically as a list, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1

  • some links can't be used by screen readers, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2

We plan to fix the issues in due course.

Issues with forms

  • there are forms that due to focus indicators may not be fully accessible to keyboard users and screen readers,  this fails WCAG 21 success criterion 2.4.7

  • there is one page where the input fields do not have unique ids, this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1

  • there are pages where the input fields can't identify what their purpose is programmatically this fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.5

  • there is one page where the form controls do not have labels, this fails WCAG 21 success criterion 1.3.1

We plan to fix the issues in due course.

Issues with files

  • there may be some files that are not fully accessible or in a singular file format

We use Silktide tool to monitor any issues regarding accessibility and aim to fix any issues that has been found as soon as possible. We use Adobe Pro's accessibility checker to check the PDF documents and Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker to check any Microsoft Office files. We have also created a guidance for our staff how to make accessible documents, for more information on this, please see the SCULPT for Accessibility page. We aim to provide alternative file formats to ensure all users can access content in documents.

Issues with third-party applications

We use some third-party applications which might not all be fully accessible, but the third-party companies are either in the process of reviewing their applications or have reviewed the applications and given a statement when the issues are going to be fixed. For more information, please see below.

Adult Services Provider Portal by ContrOCC

Applying for a school place (Citizen Portal) by Capita, please read the accessibility statement for Citizen Portal.

Coordinate Sport Booking Website for school holiday activities, please read the Coordinate Sport accessibility statement

Coroners Portal by Civica.

CQC ratings by Care Quality Commission. 

LifeCurve Assessment - Living well later in life (ADL Smartcare Limited). Please read the ADL Smartcare Limited accessibility statement

Planning Applications Search Service by Swift Datapro Software Limited. Accessibility statement: We are assessing the options for upgrading the current portal to meet accessibility regulations. We would anticipate that an upgrade to the system will take place within the next six months.

Modern.GOV.UK this system houses documents related to Council meetings. Due to the nature of the meetings the documents could be maps or documents produced by third parties. We are aware that some of the documents are inaccessible. There is work taking place to ensure training is given to those who create the documents.

Online library services by Sirsi Corporation. Accessibility statement.

Online payments by Civica, please read the accessibility statement for CivicaPay eStore2.

Registration Service by Civica. 

Schools account payment by Civica. Accessibility statement: A fully accessible version is available upon upgrade. A business case has been submitted for approval of this.

Worcestershire Business Events Portal by Tractivity. Accessibility statement: Work to fix any accessibility issues is to be completed by 31 December 2021.

Disproportionate burden

We have not identified anything that qualifies as disproportionate burden as of yet, but we are still evaluating our site and may update this when we identify issues.

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

Regulations do not apply to the following content of a website or mobile application of a public sector body:

Archives

Content of websites and mobile applications qualifying as archives which are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations: Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service Catalogue of Archives

Live video

Live video streams do not have captions. We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Older files

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. 

Online maps

Geographic Information System (GIS) maps, online maps, mapping services are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

Pre-recorded videos

Pre-recorded time-based media published before 23 September 2020 are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We use Silktide regularly to find accessibility issues and aim to fix if found any as soon as possible.

We also use SCULPT for Accessibility as a training model to improve the creation of accessible documents.

We are currently having a full audit of our website to ensure we can fully identify and understand all accessibility barriers our website may contain.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20 February 2023.

Silktide tests our site every month.

Worcestershire County Council's IT & Digital Team uses WAVE Evaluation Tool to for checking individual web pages, and the Silktide tool for checking and monitoring the whole site's accessibility status.

We are currently undergoing a full site audit that tests the site from a manual user perspective. This will include a full test from the perspective of keyboard use and screen readers.

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