Accessibility statement for Anglia Ruskin University
This accessibility statement applies to Anglia Ruskin University's main external website aru.ac.uk.
This website is run by Anglia Ruskin University. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
PDF documents that are not fully accessible to screen reader software are:
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: accessibility@aru.ac.uk.
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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Anglia Ruskin University 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.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Some of our video content does not have captions. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.2 (captions (pre-recorded)). We plan to include captions on all new videos uploaded from 23 September 2020.
Some of our video content does not have an audio description or media alternative. The fails WCAG 1.2.3 (Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)). Fixing this has been assessed as a disproportionate burden.
In a small number of instances, such as tables, html is used to format content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships). Since this issue was first identified we have removed a number of tables from the website. We are currently auditing those that remain. We plan to fix this by July 2022.
On some pages WAI-ARIA landmarks are not named. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships). We are undertaking work now and plan to fix this by January 2023.
On a small number of pages there are heading tags which are missing text. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships). We are undertaking work now and plan to fix this by July 2022.
On some pages the ID used for an element is not unique. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships) and success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing). Since this issue was first identified we have updated a number of pages. We are continuing work now and plan to fix this by July 2022.
Tabs on our undergraduate course pages don't have sufficient focus contract. This fails WCAG 2.1 Focus Visible. We plan to fix this by January 2023.
On some pages, buttons in a website survey do not have a descriptive accessible name. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). The survey 'widget' is provided by a third-party supplier. The supplier is currently reviewing their product in-house and aiming for full compliance. Their product will also be audited externally. They have advised us that they plan to complete work in 2022.
On a small number of pages, a scroll arrow in a carousel is not accessible using a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 (Keyboard). The carousel code is provided by a third-party supplier and embedded into our site. We have engaged with the supplier and they are investigating further; they note that they aim to meet WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA conformance. We have an agreement with the supplier that runs until March 2023.
On some pages, a live chat box – once opened – cannot be minimised or closed using a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 (Keyboard). The chat box is provided by a third-party supplier. We have an agreement with the supplier that runs until February 2023.
On a small number of pages that include contact or booking forms, we use the reCAPTHCA security device (version 2). This can help to confirm that form submissions are genuine, rather than from bots or malware. The reCAPTCHA device is designed and owned by Google. The current colour contrast may make it difficult for someone with sight loss to see the content properly. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 (Contrast - minimum). We are investigating the possibility of using reCAPTCHA version 3. We plan to complete our investigation in June 2022.
Some of our video content does not contain audio descriptions.
An example could be a video about a particular course, for example a Course Leader discussing some of the things that students will learn on the course. This information is spoken and conveyed through subtitles. Similar, detailed information is given on the course page itself. Typically, the video will appear on the course page, so visitors will not need to navigate away to access this information.
The video may include some incidental footage of our campuses. For example, the Course Leader may be seen walking into a building or sitting in a particular room. A visitor to the website can find information about our campuses through a dedicated suite of campus pages. All our course pages contain direct links to relevant campus pages.
We've assessed the cost of implementing audio descriptions. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will make an assessment on an ongoing basis as new video content is commissioned.
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
We have a rolling programme of updating the content and design of this website in accordance with the guidelines set out by the WCAG. We will continue to assess and improve our accessibility based on these guidelines, user testing and user feedback. We use the Siteimprove tool to monitor and report on our site to aid in identifying and prioritising issues which need to be resolved.
This statement was prepared on 25 October 2019. It was last reviewed on 19 May 2022.
This website is continually monitored by the Siteimprove tool, which reports any errors it finds. Errors are either addressed immediately or reported for further investigation. We supplement this with periodic manual audits.