Accessibility statement for – Library Labs
Website accessibility statement inline with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018
This accessibility statement applies to:
This website is run by, Library and University Collections Directorate, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:
• Change colours, contrast levels and fonts
• Magnify text up to 400% without distortion
• Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
• Experience no time limits when using the website
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. However, some of our content is technical, and we use technical terms where there is no easier wording we could use without changing what the text means.
Customising the website
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:
AbilityNet - My Computer My Way
With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:
Additional information on how to customise our website appearance
If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
Not all non-text content has appropriate alternative text
There are examples of text as an image on the site
Some content entered by the user is obscured by existing website content
Some information is conveyed by colour only
Some colour contrasts do not meet the necessary standard
Reflow is not operational beyond 150%
Some links open in new windows or tabs without warning
Some links are not formatted with meaningful hypertext
It can sometimes be hard to tell where you have navigated to using a keyboard.
There is no skip to main content function
Some parts of the website are not able to be customized depending on the browser used
Not all content is compatible with screen readers or voice recognition software
Headings are not coded correctly and therefore are not recognised by screen readers
The site can be difficult to view in portrait mode
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format, including accessible PDF, large print, audio recording or braille:
Email: Information.systems@ed.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)131 651 5151
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the on-line BSL interpreting service.
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We are 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:
Email: Information.systems@ed.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)131 651 5151
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the on-line BSL interpreting service.
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly:
Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)
The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:
Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website
Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language
British Sign Language service
Contact Scotland BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates from 8.00am to 12.00am, 7 days a week.
Contact Scotland BSL service details.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites and applications 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) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
The full guidelines are available at:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations
The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:
Not all non-text items have alternative text
There are formatting issues when viewing the site in portrait mode
Some hyperlinks and headings are conveyed with colour only
There were colour contrast issues
Some items are examples of text as an image and do not contain the appropriate alternative text
Reflow is not enabled for magnification beyond 150%
No skip to main content button is enabled on some pages of the site
Some links do not contain meaningful hypertext to inform the user of their target location
2.4.4 - Link Purpose in Context
Headings are not formatted correctly and some heading levels are missed, which affects screen reader software
The focus indicator is not clearly visible
When a user enters content into the text boxes it is obscured by the existing website content in those boxes (e.g. the author website created content)
2.4.11 Focus not Obscured Minimum
Some hyperlinks open link in new tab/window, and some popups do not alert the user this will happen
3.2.2 - On Input
The website is not fully compatible with assistive software as not all items are coded correctly
We aim to improve our websites accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we're doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our site accessibility.
We are working towards solving these problems and expect significant improvements by May 2025. The site is fully within our control.
Disproportionate burden
We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Our site includes reproductions of items in heritage collections that cannot be made fully accessible because doing so would either damage the item or it is not possible to extract the text from the manuscripts. These items are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations such as excerpts from ancient anatomy manuals.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We will continue to address and make adequate improvements to the accessibility issues highlighted. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place by August 2025.
While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 20th September 2021. It was last reviewed on 16th August 2024.
The website was last tested in August 2024. The testing was carried out by Library and University Collections, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh using both automated and manual methods. The site was tested on a PC, primarily using Microsoft Edge alongside Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
Recent world-wide usage levels survey for different screen readers and browsers shows that Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge are increasing in popularity and Google Chrome is now the favoured browser for screen readers:
WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey
The aforementioned three browsers have been used in certain questions for reasons of breadth and variety.
We ran automated testing using AXE Devtools and then manual testing that included:
• Spell check functionality;
• Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
• Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc);
• Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
• Warning of links opening in new tab or window;
• Information conveyed in the colour or sound only;
• Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
• Use with screen reading software (for example JAWS);
• Assistive software (TextHelp Read and Write, Windows Magnifier, ZoomText, Dragon Naturally Speaking, TalkBack and VoiceOver);
• Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
• Time limits;
• Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS)
• Any drag functionality and alternatives
• Consistent help function
• No need to re-enter data already submitted
• Any cognitive tests
Change Log
Since our initial testing we have undertaken more extensive manual testing with assistive software to get a better understanding of the accessibility issues on this website.