Website Accessibility Statement
Scope and ownership
This accessibility statement applies to www.uos.ac.uk which is run by the ºüÀêÊÓƵ. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website, the site should be clear and simple to understand.
We have built our website so that:
- You can zoom in up to 300% on pages without the text spilling off the screen
- It has responsive design viewable on a range of desktop and mobile devices
- Pages have appropriate colour contrast
- Pages use heading levels so assistive technologies like screen readers and browser plugins (like HeadingsMap for Chrome or Firefox) can show you the page overview and let you skip to any section of the page.
- Most images have text descriptions where appropriate
- The site can be navigated using just a keyboard
- You can listen to the website using a screen reader. Webpages are coded so screen reader users can quickly navigate between page regions using ARIA landmarks.
- Videos are used across the site to provide additional information.
have 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:
- Some focus indicators have insufficient contrast
- PDFs lack accessibility tags meaning the headings and structure are not accurately communicated to screen readers correctly. This also means they can’t be browsed via the Bookmark view in Adobe Reader. Images within these PDFs are also not marked with alternative text.
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please email studentlife@uos.ac.uk. If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille please contact the email address as above.
In your email please include your contact details, the web address (URL) for the page you are trying to access and what information you were trying to get.
Different people have different accessibility needs. You can contact us in a number of different ways:
Phone: 01473 338833
Email: studentlife@uos.ac.uk
In person: Student Centre, Ground Floor, Waterfront Building.
Our buildings are accessible for wheelchair users and accessible parking (for permit holders only) is located behind the Waterfront Building, accessed via Coprolite Street. The closest accessible parking for visitors is at Duke Street Car Park.
Our Student Centre team will respond to you in the first instance and will be able to advise you on options and timeframes.
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 .
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The ºüÀêÊÓƵ 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 below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons. We are actively working to fix these issues.
Non compliance with the accessibility regulations
- Some focus indicators on the cookie control pop-up have insufficient contrast - we expect to resolve this issue by 31st December 2024.
External Platforms
Click4Assistance chat widget
The fields on the Click4Assistance chat widget have an incorrect tabbing order when controlled via the keyboard. There is also insufficient colour contrast when hovering over the ‘Start Conversation’ button.
Disproportionate burden
We don't categorise any of the accessibility issues on www.uos.ac.uk as a disproportionate burden to fix within the meaning of the regulations.
Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
The DiscoverUni widget on course pages is out of scope for universities' responsibilities under the 3rd party content exemption as it is neither funded nor developed by universities and they have no control to deliver technical fixes to it but must keep it on their website. Further information is provided at .
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
The university has created training and reference resources for all website editors to ensure this is embedded into website content update and development processes. We use a web governance service, to monitor our website and ongoing accessibility compliance.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 3 October 2024.
It was last reviewed on 03 October 2024 by the Digital Operations Team.
This accessibility statement applies to . The website is run by the People and Organisational Development Team at the ºüÀêÊÓƵ. We committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards. This website was created using a builder by Talos360.
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 using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or 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.
has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Measures to support accessibility
takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of our website:
- Monitor new content to make sure it meets the standards before it is published.
- Review existing pages when making updates to ensure they are compliant.
- Use software such as WAVE and Web Accessibility Insights to test the pages.
How accessible this website is
We are aware that some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- Some images lack appropriate alternative text (alt tags).
- Focus order may differ from the visual reading order.
Feedback and Contact Information
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, report this to the People and Organisational Development team by email: jobs@uos.ac.uk and let us know the web address (URL) of the page and a description of the problem.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
Email the People and Organisational Development team on jobs@uos.ac.uk
We try to respond to feedback within 2 business 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, .
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The ºüÀêÊÓƵ 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
The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the AA standard, due to non-compliance issue listed below.
- The focus order on some pages may differ from the visual reading order.
- Some images have duplicating or inappropriate alt text, which may confuse users relying on assistive technologies (WCAG 1.1.1: Non-text Content)
Non-accessible Content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
- Focus order may differ from the visual reading order: The focus order on some pages may differ from the visual reading order, causing confusion for users navigating with a keyboard or assistive technologies. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.3: Focus Order.
- Duplicated alt text for images: Although all images on the site have alt text, some images have duplicating or inappropriate alt text, which may confuse users who rely on assistive technologies. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content
Planned Fix Date:
We are actively working to resolve the issue related to WCAG 1.1.1: Non-text Content, with an expected completion date of 31 January 2025.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- Some images do not have appropriate text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
Technical specifications
relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:
- HTML
- WAI-ARIA
- CSS
- JavaScript
These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.
Assessment approach
assessed the accessibility of this website through the following approaches:
- Self-evaluation
- External evaluation
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 06 September 2024
It was last reviewed on 06 September 2024
This website was last tested on 06 September 2024
The test was carried out by Talos360. All pages were tested using automated testing tools:
- WAVE Web Accessibility
- Accessibility insights for web
Talos will conduct a gap audit and any finding will be added to their roadmap and when complete, released to our site.
Talos360 will carry out annual health checks of their build every June and will update us of any issues.