Website accessibility

Accessibility statement

for University College of Estate Management (UCEM) website

This website is run by University College of Estate Management. 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 up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• use accessiBe accessibility adjustment plugin to customise the site

We’ve incorporated an accessibility plugin, AccessiBe. It utilises an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs. Additionally, it utilises an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimises its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts its functionality and behaviour for screen-readers used by blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible is this website?

We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:

• live video streams don’t have captions
• we have not tested navigation of the website using speech recognition software
• we aim to provide accessible PDFs, however, if you have any issues with accessing or using our PDFs, please contact us for a more accessible format

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format or you have a general question about accessibility contact:

• Email: marketing@ucem.ac.uk
• UK (Free): 0800 019 9697
• International: +44 (0)118 921 4696

We’ll consider your request and get back to you with an initial response in two to five working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact:

• Email: marketing@ucem.ac.uk
• UK (Free): 0800 019 9697
• International: +44 (0)118 921 4696

Enforcement procedure

If you need to escalate your issue further, contact:

• Email: complaints@ucem.ac.uk
• Complaints Officer, University College of Estate Management, Horizons, 60 Queens Road, Reading, RG1 4BS.

You can expect an acknowledgement within two working days and a full reply within 20 working days. If your complaint raises complex issues that cannot be answered within 20 working days, we will keep you informed of progress until we can fully respond.

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

University College of Estate Management is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

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.

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

Issues with PDFs and other documents

Some PDFs and Word documents may not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be marked up or are scanned images so they’re not accessible to a screen reader. We are making all new documents accessible and improving processes used to create content of this type. Please let us know if you have encountered an accessibility issue.

Issues with interactive brochures

We are aware that the content in the interactive brochures is not accessible. We have provided accessible alternatives. We are investigating alternative software to provide accessible interactive content.

Issues with images, video and audio

Live video streams don’t have captions. WCAG 1.2.4 Captions (live).

Captions are not always provided for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media. This doesn’t meet WCAG 1.2.2 Captions (prerecorded). However, in most cases we are providing a transcript for the same.

Audio descriptions are not provided for all prerecorded video content in synchronized media. This doesn’t meet 1.2.5 Audio Description (prerecorded).

Captions on live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

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

None.

HOW WE TESTED THIS WEBSITE

This website (www.ucem.ac.uk) was last tested in February 2022. This test was carried out by UCEM using the Axe tool from Deque, identified as being used by the UK Government in its testing of websites as reported in the Accessibility Monitoring of Public Sector Websites and Mobile Apps 2020-2021 report.

The following items have been marked as failed as they do not meet the requirements of being WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.

1. Design pattern: A custom widget must have the appropriate ARIA widget role for its design pattern-WCAG 4.1.2. These buttons were coded as buttons where they function as a menu button.
2. Parsing: Elements must have complete start and end tags, must not contain duplicate attributes, and must be nested according to their specifications-WCAG 4.1.1.
3. CSS positioning: Meaningful content positioned on the page using CSS must retain its meaning when CSS is disabled-WCAG 1.3.2.

These items are not WCAG 2.1AA compliant due to code that is being added by the AccessiBe plugin. As the AccessiBe plugin is incorporated into the site specifically to significantly improve its accessibility, it was decided that the vast benefits it provide outweigh these few examples where its code has a negative impact.

We are in a dialogue with the AccessiBe plugin providers with the aim of removing these last issues and will update this accessibility statement once that work is complete.

4. Element is in tab order and does not have accessible text. This does not meet WCAG 2.4.4 WCAG 4.1.2.

This item is not WCAG 2.1AA compliant due to elements within the Content Views plugin. As this plugin is incorporated to showcase up to date information about UCEM and it vastly improves the information available on the website, it was decided that it was beneficial to leave it on the site. We are in a dialogue with the Content Views plugin providers with the aim of removing these last issues and will update this accessibility statement once that work is complete.

5. Elements do not have sufficient colour contrast. This does not meet WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Buttons on the site with white text and items with text on top of a background image are being flagged as non- compliant, however, these have been checked manually and are fully compliant. The automatic check is flagging them as an issue as the contrast background is a pseudo element that it is unable to distinguish.

6. One landmark is not unique. This does not meet WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

The main page-content div is marked in the code with the role “main”. When viewing the page source and code, we can confirm this is the only area on the homepage marked with this role. However, because the LiveChat iframe also has a section with the role of “main” this is being flagged as not unique. As the LiveChat tool enhances the user experience and accessibility of the website, it was decided that its benefits are such that it should remain.

WHAT WE’RE DOING TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY

Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website.

This statement was prepared on 16 September 2019. It was last updated on 22 February 2022. This statement will be reviewed no later than twelve months from the last update.

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