Our Aim

USING THIS WEBSITE

This website (keelesu.com) is run by Keele University Students' Union. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website and are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. For example, that means you should be able to: 

• Zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• 'Skip to main content' using tab on your keyboard
• Listen to most of the website using a screen reader
• We also aim to make the website text easy to understand. 

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. AbilityNet is a UK charity that exists to change the lives of disabled people by helping them to use digital technology at work, at home or in education.

MEASURES TO SUPPORT ACCESSIBILITY

We tested our website for accessibility during the design process and we carry out similar testing on the live site.

We use and validate against HTML 5, whilst using structured semantic markup with CSS 2.1 and CSS 3 for page design.

Where Javascript, jQuery or CSS is used to present information, we strive to provide fallbacks. Progressive enhancement is applied to all content and layout.

HOW ACCESSIBLE IS OUR WEBSITE?

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

• Some website elements may cut off text if increased line spacing is turned on or off whilst on that page
• Most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
• Some videos do not have captions
• Some parts of our forms (such as checkboxes, radio controls and list boxes and combo boxes) are difficult to use just with a keyboard, or with screen readers such as JAWS and voice command software such as Dragon
• On some pages we use Google Maps, YouTube, and Facebook chat which screen reader users and keyboard users can find difficult to use

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS PARTS OF THIS WEBSITE

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. Please contact us at su.itsupport@keele.ac.uk if you:

• Need information on this website in a different format such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille
• Find any problems that are not listed on this page
• Think we are not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within five working days.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR WEBSITE'S ACCESSIBILITY

Keele University Students' Union is committed to making its website accessible.

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

1. While text can be zoomed or magnified, some website elements may cut off text if increased line spacing is turned on or off whilst on that page e.g. news description on the news carousel. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.12 (text spacing). However, this isn’t an issue if the user has increased text spacing turned on as default, or if it does become an issue a simple page refresh will redraw the element correctly.
2. Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We will continue to fix this, and when we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
3. One image navigation block template can show items out of order for keyboard users if viewed on desktop, which does not comply with WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (focus order). However, clear visual focus is shown on selection.
4. Some parts of our forms (such as checkboxes, radio controls and list boxes and combo boxes) are difficult to use with screen readers such as JAWS and voice command software such as Dragon. This doesn’t meet success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
5. It cannot be guaranteed that images of text have not been used. This doesn’t meet WCAG success criterion 1.4.5 (images of text).
6. It cannot be guaranteed that all user interfaces and graphical objects meet the necessary contrast ratio. This doesn’t meet WCAG success criterion 1.4.11 (non-text contrast).

DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN

1. It cannot be guaranteed that all prerecorded audio and video content is accompanied with a text alternative, captions, audio description, sign language interpretation, audio description. This doesn’t meet the following success criterion
   1. 1.1.1 (non-text content)
   2. 1.2.1 (audio-only and video-only - prerecorded)
   3. 1.2.2 (captions – prerecorded)
   4. 1.2.3 (audio description or media alternative - prerecorded)
   5. 1.2.5 (audio description - prerecorded)
   6. 1.2.6 (sign language - prerecorded)
   7. 1.2.7 (extended audio description - prerecorded)
   8. 1.2.8 (media alternative - prerecorded)
2. On some pages we use Google Maps, which screen reader users and keyboard users can find difficult or impossible to use. However, with this being a third-party tool which we neither fund nor develop it is not possible to correct.
3. On some pages we embed YouTube videos, which include ‘non-descriptive image links’. However, with this being a third-party tool which we neither fund nor develop it is not possible to correct.
4. On some pages we embed Facebook live chat, which has some usability and accessibility issues. However, with this being a third-party tool which we neither fund nor develop it is not possible to correct.

CONTENT THAT’S NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE ACCESSIBILITY REGULATIONS

1. PDFs and other documents - Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don't meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be marked up so they are accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value). 
2. Video captions - Some of our older videos don't have accurate edited captions or transcripts. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.1 (audio-only and video-only pre-recorded), 1.2.2 (captions pre-recorded), 1.2.3 (audio description or media alternative pre-recorded) and 1.2.5 (audio description pre-recorded). We have carried out an audit of all our videos and have begun a process of updating captions and adding full transcripts. Any new videos we publish will have edited captions and transcripts.

WHAT WE’RE DOING TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY

We have a rolling programme of updating content in accordance with the guidelines set out by the WCAG.

We continually monitor the accessibility compliance of our site and have made the fixing and improvement of the site part of our daily digital housekeeping activities.

All CMS Web Champions (editors) have access to our website style guide which includes guidance on how to produce accessible web pages and content. This guidance is reviewed on a regular basis.

 

Exceptions

Within these pages, there are links to external sites that are not part of the https://keelesu.com/ domain.

The Keele website also makes use of embedded content. Accessibility of the embedded content is sometimes out of our control especially, for example, when embedding third-party content such as YouTube videos.