We're committed to making our online services as accessible as possible for all customers. This accessibility statement provides information, related to the council's MyLO website, on:
- accessibility of our online services
- requesting services in an accessible format
- reporting accessibility problems
- online services which don't currently meet accessibility standards
- online services exempt from accessibility standards
- ongoing improvements for increased accessibility
Accessibility of our online services
Our online services are designed to be used by as many people as possible; the text should be clear and simple to understand and you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels, font sizes and styles
- zoom in up to 300% without problems
- navigate most of our online services using just a keyboard
- use most of our online services with screen reader software
Most of our online services work when scripts, applets or other programmatic objects are turned off, or aren’t supported. However, your experience of using our website without scripts running may not be optimal.
Our online services are partially compliant with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Get details of online services which don't currently meet accessibility standards, and online services exempt from accessibility standards.
Requesting services in an accessible format
If you need information in a different format, email: wdu@york.gov.uk, and tell us:
- the location of the information (copy and paste the URL/address from your browser address bar)
- your name and email address (so we can respond)
- the format you need (for example, audio CD, braille, British Sign Language (BSL), large print, accessible PDF)
Our Workforce Development Unit Hub will respond within 5 working days to your request.
Reporting accessibility problems
If you find any accessibility problems that are not listed on this page, or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email: wdu@york.gov.uk in the first instance so that we can work to resolve any issues.
If you contact us with a complaint about the accessibility of our online services, and you’re not happy with our response, the Equality Advisory and Support Service may be able to help you.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations.
Online services which don't currently meet accessibility standards
Some parts of our online services are non-compliant, meaning they don't currently meet accessibility standards; in these cases:
- both our internal team who administers the website, and our external supplier, are working to improve accessibility standards
- we've provided a means of requesting services in an accessible format
Due to the amount of issues and the complexity of fixes, we'll continue to update this statement as we identify and resolve areas of non-compliance.
Currently:
- Some pages may require zooming and 2D scrolling on small screens. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.1 AA, 1.4.10
- Some text on this website may not sufficiently contrast with its background colour, so that people with moderate visual impairments can read it. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.1 AA, 1.4.3
- There may be some failure conditions where techniques have failed to ensure that sections have headings that identify them. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.1 AA, which requires that the headings be marked such that they can be programmatically identified.
- There may be issues in Ensuring all controls change appearance when they are selected, including links, buttons, and fields - should show when they have been selected by the keyboard. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.1 AA, 2.4.7
- There may be cases of some images fail to specify alternative text, via an alt attribute. The alternative text should describe the purpose of the link. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG A, 1.1.1
- There are some failures when specifying accessible names via aria-labelled by, ensure that the label elements exist. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG A, 1.3.1
- Some form controls fail be appearing sufficiently distinct from their surroundings, so that people with visual impairments are still able to clearly see them. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG AA, 1.4.11
- Some fields on forms fail to identify what their purpose is programmatically. If done correctly, this allows browsers to help users fill in forms with known information, such as their name and email address. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG AA, 1.3.5
- There are cases where an ID attribute has been used more than once on one page, all id attributes on a page must be unique, or accessible technologies used by the page can stop working. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG A, 4.1.1
- There may be cases where links on the website fail to explain their purpose. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG A, 2.4.4
- There may be cases of Two adjacent links that point to the same destination, where they shouldn't. We always want to combine the two links. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A,1.1.1
- There are some cases where dialogs (sometimes knows as 'pop up windows') do not declare an accessible label which will mean they cannot be read out by screen readers.This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A, 1.3.1
- Some headings on the website may fail accessibility as they do not provide text within the Header tag. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A, 1.3.1
- There may be cases where links in a new tab or window which is not recommended. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 AAA, 3.2.5
- Some table headers do not define a valid scope attribute, which tells assistive technologies what the header refers to. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A, 1.3.1
- There may be some interactive components on a page, such as buttons or fields, that are not large enough to be easily used by people with motor impairments. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.1 AAA, 2.5.5
- There may be failures to comply with the strictest accessibility standard (WCAG AAA), the colour of text must strongly contrast with its background colour, so that people with significant visual impairments can read it. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 AAA, 1.4.6
- Some Labels with a for attribute should point but fail to point to a unique ID of a labelable control that is used within the document fragment. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A, 1.3.1
- There are some cases where the id attributes on a page is not unique, so accessible technologies used by the page can stop working. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A, 4.1.1
- Some links may not be defined in a specific way to be accessed by screen readers, which are used by blind and the partially sighted. This relates to Success Criterion WCAG 2.0 A, 4.1.2
Please be aware that a program of work is currently underway to address accessibility issues, involving internal developers and designers, and Learning Pool, who provides our Learning Management System.
We aim to resolve all the accessibility issues as soon as possible.
Online services which are exempt from accessibility standards
Parts of our online services are exempt from accessibility standards:
- The accessibility regulations do not require us to 'fix' downloads if they were published before 23 September 2018 (if they’re not essential to providing services). Due to 'disproportionate burden', we won't be able to make downloads accessible if they were published on our site before 19 April 2021 (whether they're essential to providing services or not). However, any new downloads we publish from 19 April 2021 will meet accessibility standards.
- We do not plan to add captions to pre-recorded (audio and) videos published before 23 September 2020, because these are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. However, any new pre-recorded (audio and) videos published after 23 September 2020 should have captions added.
- Some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard, for example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag. We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues with navigation and accessing information, and with interactive tools and transactions. However, we believe that doing so now would be a 'disproportionate burden' within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.
Where our assessments have determined it would be a 'disproportionate burden' to apply fixes to make a particular online service accessible, you can email: wdu@york.gov.uk to request information in an accessible format.
Ongoing improvements for increased accessibility
Our online services are currently being (and will continue to be) reviewed for compliance. Tests are carried out in-house using manual checks alongside automated testing using Silktide. The findings of our ongoing Silktide reviews will continue to inform and prioritise our actions according to usage data, as we work to improve accessibility across our online services.
This accessibility statement was last reviewed on 19 December 2022, by our Workforce Development Unit Facilitators Team.