Web Accessibility

Accessibility statement for Mapping the Scottish Reformation (interactive maps only)

Website accessibility statement inline with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is run by 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 200% 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.

AbilityNet - My computer my way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website to make it easier to read and navigate.

Addtional information on how to customise our website appearance


How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • Some parts may not be fully compatible with screen readers:
    • The filters panel form has multiple missing 'label' tags. If a form control does not have a properly associated text label, the function or purpose of that form control may not be presented to screen reader users.

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

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

email MappingScotsRef@gmail.com

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:

email interactive-content@ed.ac.uk


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)


Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language

British Sign Language service

British Sign Language Scotland 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 from 8am to 12 midnight, 7 days a week.

British Sign Language Scotland 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.

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
  • Errors
    • Missing form label
      • Multiple WAVE errors for 'missing form label'. Our filters panel may not be fully compatible with screen readers.
      • If a form control does not have a properly associated text label, the function or purpose of that form control may not be presented to screen reader users. Form labels also provide visible descriptions and larger clickable targets for form controls.
      • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
        • 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)
        • 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)
        • 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)
        • 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A)
      • This will be fixed by the end of February 2021.
  • Alerts
    • Select missing label
      • Multiple WAVE alerts for a 'select missing label' in the filters panel. Several select elements do not have an associated label.
      • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
        • 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)
        • 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)
        • 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A)
    • Missing fieldset
      • Multiple WAVE alerts for a 'select missing label' in the filters panel. Groups of check boxes, or radio buttons, are not enclosed in fieldsets.
      • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
        • 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)
        • 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)
        • 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)
        • 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A)
    • Skipped heading level
      • Multiple WAVE alerts for 'skipped heading level'. The website logo and the static page titles both use H1 title tags, they page titles should be H2 ideally.
      • Similarly, the filters panel start with H3 tags.
      • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
        • 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A)
        • 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A)
        • 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)
Disproportionate burden
  • None.
Navigation and accessing information
  • See 'Non compliance with the accessibility regulations' section.
Interactive tools and transactions
  • See 'Non compliance with the accessibility regulations' section.

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

  • None.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 10th December 2020. The test was carried internally by the Interactive Content service within the Information Services Group.

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:

  • the default interactive map 'Tenures'
  • and a typical static content page 'Glossary'.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

This statement was prepared on 10th December 2020.

Improvement log

10th December 2020
  • Missing alternative text now added to all images:
    • Several WAVE errors for 'missing alternative text' and alerts for both 'suspicious alternative text' and 'a nearby image has the same alternative text'.
    • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
      • 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A).
  • Improved poor HTML:
    • One WAVE error for 'language missing or invalid'
    • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
      • 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A).
  • Contrast ratios increased:
    • Several WAVE errors for 'very low contrast', in particular with the navigation bar's grey (#A0AEC0) text on a white background. The contrast ratio was 2.25:1 (#A0AEC0) and is now 4.5:1 (#667799). This darker gray does now pass AA normal text size (4.5:1 minimum).
    • Similar improvements were made to default hyperlink presentation too. The original blue (#4299e1) failed with a 3.05:1 contrast ratio, we're now using a darker blue (#0071EB) which passes with a 4.6:1 ratio.
    • WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:
      • 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA)