Accessibility Statement

This statement applies to content published on https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk. It does not apply to content on www.jisc.ac.uk (for example, www.jisc.ac.uk/open-access).

This website is run by Jisc. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:

  • Change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • Zoom in up to 300% without problems
  • Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • Use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

AbilityNet has 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 aren't fully accessible:

  • Some PDF documents aren't fully accessible to screen reader software
  • Some heading elements are not consistent
  • Some images do not contain alternative text
  • We have issues with some third-party interactive elements
  • We have some content issues

How to request content in an accessible format

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille contact us:

We'll consider your request and get back to you.

Reporting accessibility problems with 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, use the 'spotted an issue?' button at the foot of every page, or contact help@jisc.ac.uk.

Enforcement procedure

If you contact us with a complaint and you're not happy with our response contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

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').

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Jisc is committed to making its websites 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 (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Content issues
    • A small number of pages have HTML content where the language is not identified. This fails WCAG 2.1 A 3.1.1 success criterion (Language of Page). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
    • Our footnote and abbreviations aren't fully accessible to screen readers. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard). We plan to develop an alternative to our current footnote approach. We are investigating what can be done to improve our abbreviations.
  • Issues with page structure
    • There are some issues with the page structures on our sites. The heading order doesn't always clearly reflect the structure of the page in some sections and headings are not always clearly labelled. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We are addressing these and plan to fix this by January 2021.
  • Issues with links
    • There are a small number of redundant links used, where adjacent links go to the same URL. This fails WCAG 2.1 A 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
    • Some linked images are missing alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.1 A 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) and 2.4.4 (Link Purpose). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
  • Keyboard controls
    • We have some issues with pages that can't be fully controlled using the keyboard — for example, the publisher policy section of publication pages on Sherpa Romeo. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
  • Issues with PDFs and other documents
    • We provide links to PDF documents which don't meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be marked up so they're accessible to a screen reader. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). We plan to fix this by January 2021. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish should meet accessibility standards.
  • Issues with images, video and audio
    • A small number of images do not contain alternative text. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 (Non-text Content). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
    • There is unhelpful alt text on some images, especially where icons are used. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
    • There are some instances of redundant alternative text where the advisory information is very similar to the alternative text. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content). We plan to fix this by January 2021.
  • Issues with interactive tools
    • Some of our search functions are missing descriptions of elements and therefore may be difficult to navigate using screen readers. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) and WCAG 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions).
    • Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a 'label' tag. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 A success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). Some of these pages are due to be redeveloped in 2020, we will be reviewing the others and whether to retire them or remove them.
  • Third-party tools: YouTube
    • We embed YouTube videos on the site. We know there are accessibility issues with these features. We don't have accessible alternatives and, as we don't control the platform, are unable to make the changes required to improve them. Let us know if you would like an accessible version of any video we provide and we will send it through to you.
  • Third-party links: Links to external websites
    • Some of our pages link to external websites and external PDFs which may contain accessibility issues. We don't have accessible alternatives and, as we don't control these websites, and are unable to make the changes required to improve them. Let us know if you would like an accessible version of any third-party PDF and we will consider your request.

Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

How we tested this website

This website was and is currently being tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level A and Level AA, and these tests have been carried out internally.

We used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) approach to decide on a sample of pages to test. We tested our sample using manual testing and accessibility tools, including Wave and Axe.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

Whenever new features are released, they must meet WCAG 2.1 AA. We're also committed to working on the issues above. This content is modified from the GOV.UK accessibility statement - used through the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Version information

This is V1 of the Sherpa Services Accessibility Statement. This statement was first published on 3rd September 2020.

This statement was prepared on 28 August 2020. It was last updated on 3rd September 2020.

Service

Sherpa Services

Helping authors and institutions make informed and confident decisions in open access publication and compliance.