Accessibility statement for the MND-SMART website
Website accessibility statement inline with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018
This accessibility statement applies to www.mnd-smart.org
This website is run by the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research which is part of the University of Edinburgh. 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 300% 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.
Customising the website
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:
AbilityNet – My Computer My Way
With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:
Additional information on how to customise our website appearance
If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:
Information on SensusAccess
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- some non-text content does not have text alternatives
- not all content is accessible if the line height, paragraph spacing, letter spacing or word spacing is increased.
- not all images have alternative text.
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:
- email: emc_admin@ed.ac.uk
- call: Sorry, we are unable to accept telephone calls as we are working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- write to:
MND-SMART
CCBS
University of Edinburgh
Chancellor’s Building
49 Little France Crescent
Edinburgh
EH16 4SB
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 us on:
- email: emc_admin@ed.ac.uk
- call: Sorry, we are unable to accept telephone calls as we are working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- write to:
MND-SMART
CCBS
University of Edinburgh
Chancellor’s Building
49 Little France Crescent
Edinburgh
EH16 4SB
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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly:
Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)
The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:
Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website
Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language Service
British Sign Language service
contactSCOTLAND-BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
contactSCOTLAND-BSL service details.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The University of Edinburgh 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 (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
The full guidelines are available at:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1
Non-accessible content
The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
- Not all non-text content has text alternatives
- 1.1.1 – Non Text Content.
- Some content cannot be presented without loss of information if the line height, paragraph spacing, letter spacing or word spacing is increased.
- 1.4.12 – Text Spacing
- The purpose of each link cannot always be determined from the link text alone
- 2.4.4 Link Purpose (in context)
- Links do not always give users a warning when opening a new window.
- 3.2.1 On Focus Level A
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
We are not currently claiming that there is any content outwith the scope of the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We will continue to address the accessibility issues highlighted, either through delivery of a solution or suitable workaround.
Whilst we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website. Whilst we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was first prepared on 15 September 2020. It was last reviewed and updated on 2 March 2023.
This website was tested by the Interactive Content service within the Information Services Group during January and February 2023, using the Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.
We are in the process of securing access to two additional browsers (Interner Explorer and Microsoft Edge) and an Android mobile device. When obtained we will review the site once again.
How we tested this website
Our primary web accessibility evaluation tools were:
- WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) from WebAIM
- Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) from the Paciello Group.
The sample pages tested cover all published content types and design templates. We tested:
- our main homepage
- standard content/resource pages (e.g. About > About MND-Smart, Contact, News > Newsletters).
We tested:
- Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
- Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour et. cetera);
- Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
- Warning of links opening in a new tab or window;
- Information conveyed in colour or sound only;
- Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
- Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
- Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (iOS).