Accessibility statement for bath.ac.uk
This accessibility statement applies to website [https://www.bath.ac.uk] as the main website for the University of Bath.
This website is run by the University of Bath.
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.
If you have a disability, AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- some pages and document attachments are not written in plain English
- older PDF documents may not fully accessible to screen reader software
- videos do not all have captions
- some of our online forms may be difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
- some aspects of our virtual tour are not fully accessible to screen readers and may be difficult to navigate using a keyboard
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:
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
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, contact:
Rhian Griggs, Head of Content Strategy
Email: web-support@bath.ac.uk
Or you can report an accessibility issue using our accessibility reporting form .
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).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The University of Bath 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 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
The full guidelines are available at:
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
- Non compliance with the accessibility regulations
The following items do not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria
Some images do not have a 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).
- We will review images on the website by December 2024
Some PDF document downloads currently lack a title that describes their topic or purpose. This fails WCAG success criterion Page Titled 2.4.2.
- We will audit PDFs on the website by December 2024
Some of our PDFs and Word documents may not be structured, so they’re accessible to a screen reader. Some of these PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services and forms published as Word documents. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value)
- We will try to make sure any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards, and where we find any that are not accessible, we will rectify this as soon as possible. We will carry out an audit to assess the accessibility of our PDFs and plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages by December 2024
There are some occurrences of badly formatted links either with text that is not descriptive enough, e.g. click here or have the full web address e.g. https://www. rather than formatted link text. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
- We are currently working to eliminate these link issues with a view to resolving them by December 2024
On some pages the font size is fixed. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.4.8 Visual Presentation
- We will review this issue by December 2024
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
Campus maps
It is unlikely that the map application for the University is fully accessible with all assistive technologies. However, maps are currently not within the scope of the regulations.
Embedded maps may not be accessible. However, we link to an accessible alternative which provides information about the location and access routes. There is a lot of additional information available in different formats including maps to download and information in the AccessAble app.
Maps embedded within the Research Data Archive or University Archives and Research Collections may not be accessible as they are not intended for navigational use.
Older PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
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. For example, we do not plan to fix archival Council meeting minutes for the 2016/17 academic year.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Pre-recorded and live time-based media
Pre-recorded videos published before 23 September 2020 may not include captions or transcripts.
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Third-party content
Some authors may choose to link content hosted on external websites that are not owned, paid for, or developed by the University of Bath. This content may not be accessible.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We plan to carry out a regular monthly website audit of bath.ac.uk using an automated service, followed by manual prioritisation of issues with key user journeys. We are in the process of procuring an appropriate tool to carry out this monthly check
We use a publishing platform which is stable and has been tested for accessibility issues. This cuts down, but doesn't totally remove, the risk of web editors adding content that is not accessible
We plan a full University web estate audit to assess issues with site accessibility
Support, guidance and training process will be put in place for all University staff to increase awareness of accessibility and what our responsibilities are. This will be in place by December 2024
- The University currently runs a series of sessions to highlight the importance of Word and PDF accessibility and train users in how to audit and then improve the accessibility of these documents.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 28 October 2019. It was last reviewed on 23 February 2024.
This website was first tested on 21 June 2022 by the Government Digital Service and the issues were resolved in August 2022. You can read the full accessibility test report.
This website was last tested on 16 February 2024.
We will take a headline review of 10 pages using 10 accessibility criteria on each page to identify the components and templates that are re-used across the site. These criteria are aligned to WCAG W3C Easy Checks methodology which form part of the compliance monitoring process for the Public Sector Web Accessibility Regulations. The 10 pages will be chosen as a result of the analysis of typical user journeys across the website and will include a sample of our different page templates.
Design framework
Most of the University of Bath webpages use a design system we call Lens. This system was built with accessibility in mind from the outset. All the page and design elements for the website are designed to create consistent pages with unified behaviours and styles.