LibGuides Accessibility Statement

The platform can be viewed at a magnification of 400% on 15.6” and 14" laptop screens and screen sizes greater than this, using all major browsers and content reflows accordingly. The platform responds well on desktop and on mobile using different size browsers. We add content according to responsive templates within the platform.

We are aware of reports of magnification and reflow issues with some users who were using a 13-inch screen MacBooks/MacBook Pro (iOS) using Google Chrome browser. However, we have been unable to replicate this internally and externally. 

There are a very small number of elements where magnification causes pixelation in images (see Technical Information section below for more details).

All platform pages can be accessed easily by keyboard. There are different ways to navigate the site. You can:

• use the provided menu structures
• search for content
• use the breadcrumb trail to navigate

There are some issues surrounding the focus state identification across the platform (see Technical Information section below for more details).

The platform tries to use a logical semantic structure to all pages so that content is as meaningful to users of assistive technologies, as possible. Users can benefit by:

• using browser plugins like HeadingsMap to swiftly navigate a menu of headings
• using screen reader functionality to browse by heading level

That noted, there are some issues surrounding the use of headings and semantic structure of pages across the platform (see Technical Information section below for more details).

LibGuides uses a pseudo-consistent page structure wherever possible and provides "Skip links" to allow repetitive navigable elements (e.g. the site menu) to be avoided.

All parts of the website, including menus and interactive resources can be navigated using a keyboard using keystrokes like Tab, Enter, Escape and the Arrow keys. The tab order is logical, and the currently focused item is highlighted for keyboard users.

This noted, there are some issues surrounding the use of keyboard focus, alternative text, programmatically identifiable elements, and semantic structure of pages across the platform (see Technical Information section below for more details).

Across the vast majority of the website, default colour contrasts meet accessibility guidelines. However, we have identified instances and elements where this is not the case (see Technical Information section below for more details).

You can change the default background colours using browser plugins like HighContrast or ScreenShader.

Automatic playing videos and carousels can be distracting and even impactful; we ensure none of ours autoplay. Media can be controlled by either mouse or keyboard.

All UWS videos will have captioning added. We have tried to ensure that all new UWS videos have had captions added prior to loading to streaming services in order to make them as accessible as possible.

We are working to ensure that appropriate descriptions have been added to platform content elements that display links such as Read more or Find out more across the site for users of assistive technologies. Call-to-action controls and link navigation allow contextual information to be used.

There are a significant number of broken links on the website which link to websites and platforms of external third-party providers. We are working to rectify these or remove them completely (see Technical Information section below for more details).

We are working to ensure that all images across the site have been identified as either decorative or non-decorative and have alternative text descriptions according to their category.

The platform has been assessed using NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA). It uses page and element labels and instructions to ensure that visually impaired users understand the purpose and content therein. 

There several are known issues though with semantic structure, hidden content and missing programmatic information etc. We are working to rectify these issues (see Technical Information section below for more details).

MAGNIFCATION & REFLOW

The platform can be viewed at a magnification of 400% on 15.6” and 14" laptop screens and screen sizes greater than this, using all major browsers and content reflows accordingly. The platform responds well on desktop and on mobile using different size browsers. We add content according to responsive templates within the platform.

We have been made aware of reports of magnification and reflow issues with some users who were using a 13-inch screen MacBooks/iMacPro. However, we have been unable to replicate this. Where this may be encountered, this would fail success criterion 1.4.10: Reflow. 

We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

KEYBOARD FOCUS

There are interactive elements that do not receive focus when tabbing through the page. As a result, they cannot be operated with a keyboard. Interactive elements must be entirely compatible with a keyboard. Users should never need to use a mouse. This fails success criterion 2.1.1: Keyboard. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

There are instances across the platform where the keyboard focus order is not logical, navigates onto the same interactive component a number of times, or does not remain on a currently active element. There are also instances across the platform where non-interactive components receive focus; this may confuse keyboard users. The Focus Order does not need to mirror the visual order, but interactive elements must receive focus in a manner that makes sense; it must not be illogical or make the interfere with the operability of components. This fails success criterion 2.4.3: Focus Order. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

IMAGES WITH INAPPROPRIATE / NO TEXT ALTERNATIVES

Some functional images have been identified as having inappropriate or missing text alternatives. Non-text content must have appropriate alternatives. This is required for the content to be understood by all users. This fails success criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

INAPPROPRIATELY HIDDEN CONTENT 

Some content on the platform is inappropriately hidden which breaks reading order. When content has a meaningful order, an appropriate reading order needs to be programmatically determined. This assists users with assistive technology to navigate the content and understand it; prevents content from appearing unstructured and disorganised to users. 

There are instances across the site where the appropriate reading order has not been programmatically determined. This fails success criterion 1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

COLOUR CONTRAST

There are a number of instances across the platform where we have identified elements, regular link text and placeholder text as having insufficient colour contrast between displayed text and a coloured background. This fails success criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum). We aim to fix this by September 2025. 

USING COLOUR ONLY TO COMMUNICATE INFORMATION

There is information across the platform that is visually communicated exclusively through the use of colour. Understanding content and operating interactive elements on websites and platforms must not rely on colour. This may particularly disadvantage low vision and colour-blind users. There is not an additional visual cue that these elements are links. This fails success criteria 1.4.1: Use of Colour and 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum).Where we can fix such issues within templates, we aim to fix this by September 2025. However, where we are unable to fix these (system-level issues that cannot be addressed by us), we have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

USING IMAGES TO COMMUNICATE INFORMATION

There are images in use across the platform that contain significant levels of text. Text should not be embedded in images. This can make the content inaccessible for users with impaired vision. For example, screen readers rely on the text being included in text alternatives, which are commonly not effective for communicating multiple sentences or structured text. This fails success criterion 1.4.5: Images of Text. We aim to fix this by September 2025.

SEMANTIC STRUCTURE

Content in some page elements across the platform that do not categorise the content within the page or element structure. If a relationship between elements is expressed with visual cues, it also needs to be programmatically determined within an element on a webpage. This enables assistive technologies to communicate the relationships to users. Similarly, element or page content sometimes breaks structural semantics. Some content may seem unstructured or disorganised. This fails success criterion 1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence. We aim to fix this by September 2025.

Some unordered lists have not been marked up semantically across the platform. In addition, there are some elements that are visually communicated as being key and value pairs (description list items) which have not been programmatically determined. These fail success criterion 1.3.1: Info and Relationships. We aim to fix this by September 2025.

Some headings are not marked-up semantically and some text uses heading semantics inappropriately across the platform. Some elements categorise content but are not marked as headings and there are some elements contained within heading tags that do not title or categorise other content. This can be confusing for users of assistive technologies. These fail success criterion 1.3.1: Info and Relationships. We aim to fix this by September 2025.

PROGRAMMICALLY IDENTIFIED ELEMENTS

There are pages across the platform where interactive elements and page states are not programmatically identifiable. All such elements need a programmatically determined name, role and value. These properties must be accurate and appropriate. This may impact users who interact with the platform using accessibility properties, e.g. users of screen readers and voice recognition technology. This fails success criterion 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

BROKEN LINKS

We are aware of a significant number of broken links across the platform on a number of pages. These were added to our platform in order to link users to external third-party platforms and resources. Over time, some of these third-party platform owners have changed the asset/page names to which we initially linked to or have removed the assets/pages from their platform completely. We are working to resolve the broken links by updating them and / or removing them where appropriate. This relates to success criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context). Because of the volume of broken links, this is an ongoing exercise, but we will update this aspect of this statement by September 2025.

HYPERLINK ISSUES

Many hyperlinks on the platform do not all have text alternatives. Text alternatives do not need to be visible and is usually added in HTML. However, links represented by images or icons can be problematic to users with vision impairments. Missing alternative text in links presents real difficulties for users of assistive technologies and impairs the user experience. Text alternatives should describe the link’s purpose – what visitors can expect to see after they click it. This fails success criteria 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context), and 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value. We aim to fix these by September 2025.

INLINE FRAME ISSUES

A number of pages across the platform have used inline frames (iframes) to display content (often new media) from other parts of the web, e.g. YouTube videos etc. These do not currently have text alternatives. Every iframe should have a text alternative that summarises its content or purpose. This fails success criteria 1.1.1: Non-text Content and 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025. 

USE OF HEADINGS

Some pages on the platform contain empty headings (heading tags with no text content). Headings are used to manage the presentation and therefore the digestion of content for users. They need to be used correctly especially for users of screen readers. Failing to properly define and use headers for content (no text) or images (no alternative text) impairs the user experience of vision impaired users. This fails success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and 2.4.6: Headings and Labels. We aim to fix this by September 2025.

In addition, headings are not always structured on many pages across this platform. On these pages, one or more heading levels have been omitted; they should follow a nested structure from <h1> to <h6>. Heading tags help assistive technology users understand how the content is structured and can help in-page navigation. This fails success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. We aim to fix this by September 2025.

Some headings are not marked-up semantically and some text uses heading semantics inappropriately across the platform. See Semantic Structure (above).

BUTTON MISSING A TEXT ALTERNATIVE

A small number of pages on the platform refer to buttons which have missing alternative text within content blocks. Some of these appear to be ghost buttons (created in HTML but which have with no content) and these need to be removed. Some need to have titles added. This fails success criteria 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context) and 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value. Where we are unable to access the code to add appropriate alternative text, we have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

VISIBLE LABEL AND ACCESSIBLE NAME DO NOT MATCH

The accessible name of any interactive element should contain its visible text label. One page on the platform does not conform to this requirement. Using two different names for a single page element can create a confusing user experience for assistive technology users. This is especially true for speech-input users who will experience difficulty activating a control if the displayed label does not match the assigned accessible name for the element. This fails success criterion 2.5.3: Label in Name. We have identified this issue to our supplier for clarification (esp. surrounding form submission CTAs) and will update this statement in September 2025.

TRIGGERED CONTENT ISSUES

There are pages across the platform where content which is triggered by a mouse hover or keyboard focus is either not dismissible or persistent. There are certain conditions which must apply to triggered content – it must be dismissible without moving mouse or keyboard focus, users must be able to move the mouse over new content without it being dismissed and content must be persistently visible until the user moves their mouse of keyboard focus onto other page elements. Triggered content issues will impair the user experience. This fails success criterion 1.4.13: Content on Hover or Focus. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

FOCUS INDICATOR

When interactive elements receive keyboard focus, they must provide a visual cue as to this focus status update. There are elements across the platform that receive focus, but which do not provide any visual cue. There are instances on the platform where there is no visual difference between when the element is not receiving keyboard focus and when the element is receiving keyboard focus. In addition, there are instances across the platform where the keyboard focus indicator is barely visible. Keyboard-only users may struggle to track their position on the page without focus indication or with difficult to see focus indication. This fails success criterion 2.4.7: Focus Visible. We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

TARGET SIZE

There are a number of pages across the platform where the interactive elements do not meet the minimum required size or spacing requirements. Interactive elements, like buttons or links, should be large enough or be positioned, so they can easily be clicked or tapped by users with physical impairments. This fails success criterion 2.5.8: Target Size (Minimum). We have identified this issue to our supplier and will update this statement in September 2025.

DOCUMENTS

The LibGuides platform itself contained a relatively small number of downloadable PDFs. These PDFs were not fully accessible. These are being replaced with newer versions for the coming academic session. 

Generally speaking, PDFs contain machine readable content, but they have a number of additional issues that need to be addressed to raise their accessibility up to the required standards. These PDFs typically fail accessibility guidelines on combinations of the following success criteria:

• 1.1.1: Non-text Content, where the PDFs contain images which do not have appropriate and sufficient alternative text specified, or are all decorative images tagged as artifacts/background
• 1.3.1: Info and Relationships, where the PDFs are not tagged, or paragraph tags do not accurately represent visual layout, or links are incorrectly tagged (must contain visual text and link OBJR within the Link tag), or footnotes and references are incorrectly tagged 
• 1.3.1: Info and Relationships, where text intended to act as a visual heading has not been declared as such through the heading tags and heading tags do not follow a hierarchical structure
• 1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence, where the tags in the document do not match the order the reading order, or where text in PDFs has been created using floating text boxes (e.g. using desktop publishing software) or no reading order has been specified, tab order has not been set, or incorporate lists throughout etc.
• 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum), where text may have been created in a colour which does not contrast enough with its background colour
• 1.4.11: Non-Text Contrast, where controls and intended use of colour has an inappropriate contrast ratio (less than 3:1)
• 2.4.2 (Page Titled), where this is not yet set or does not sufficiently describe the or content of the PDF
• 2.4.3: Focus Order, where the tab structure has not bee set in the document
• 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels) and 2.4.10 (Section Headings), where PDFs have been created without bookmarks
• 2.4.6 (headings and labels), where the PDFs do not have tagged heading structures or table elements properly defined
• 3.1.1 (Language of Page), where PDFs do not have a language specified in them – please read all such PDFs as UK English

Where LibGuides links to other UWS platforms which contain a significant number of downloadable PDFs, there may also be a large number of historic PDFs which currently fail in combinations of the above success criteria and on success criterion 1.4.5: Images of Text. These are likely to be of scanned copies of archived examination papers and probably contain scanned text which may not have been converted to computer-readable text. These may not be able to be amended in a reasonable timeframe due to the potential number of papers impacted. If this is the case and one the past examination papers you require is one of those papers, please contact us directly and we will work with you to resolve the issue. 

We are currently commencing the process of replacing PDFs on the LibGuides site for the coming academic session to address these issues. We plan to complete this work by September 2025.

N/A

• Office file formats* published before 23 September 2018, unless they are active and necessary to tasks that we are performing.

• PDFs before 2018 and archive PDFs (documents which are out of date and replaced with newer version but still published for archive purposes.).

* the term "Office file formats" refers to a document in a format that is not intended primarily for use on the web but is included in web pages, e.g. Adobe Portable Document Format, Microsoft Office documents or their open-source equivalents.

The manual digital accessibility assessment of the website was completed on the 15 July 2024. The assessment was carried out using a variety of tools, including assistive technologies such as the NVDA screen reader. It was carried out by AbilityNet Ltd. and used a Windows 11 computer using a Firefox browser.

LibGuides is a third-party platform by Springshare LLC. LibGuides is a template-based platform that allows us to leverage content to enhance the user and learner experience. 

The manual assessment was undertaken on a cross-sample pages and components that are representative of the platform itself. In this way, it could identify accessibility issues that would need to be addressed for the site to be compliant with accessibility legislation and guidelines. 

The manual audit and assessment had two main components:

• A headline review of 3 pages (Homepage, Contact US and A-Z Databases) assessing accessibility criteria on each page and focusing on component types and templates that are reused across the site. 
• Functional accessibility testing of the components found to be causing accessibility issues during the headline review. Whilst this testing is grounded in the WCAG 2.2 level AA standards, its primary purpose was to identify issues that cannot be found with automatic checkers and provide recommendations on how to resolve or mitigate these issues.

In addition, the manual audit and assessment looked at a single PDF and assessed against 54 separate tests. 

• PDF assessment: one PDF was randomly selected and manually audited and assessed for accessibility compliance (Welcome_to_the_Library_Info_Leaflet_2022.pdf). A variety of tools were used to assess the PDF: Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Full Check utility and Colour Contrast Analyser, as well as assistive technologies NVDA screen reader and keyboard-only interaction. Adobe Acrobat Pro was also used to assess the PDF. 

The website is also assessed using a sector-leading, automated website governance platform (Siteimprove) to identify accessibility issues, errors, warnings.