Accessibility statement for www.scottishhumanrights.com

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. This website has been designed to work with all assistive technologies. For example, that means that you should be able to:

  • Use assistive technologies to change colours, contrast levels and fonts.
  • Listen to the content of each page using the built in “Browsealoud” text-to-speech software.
  • 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.

We have published a BSL Plan for 2018-2024 which can be accessed here as a Word document in English or in BSL on our YouTube channel here. This sets out the actions that we will take to promote the use of BSL in our work.

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 are not fully accessible:

  • Our website search function can be difficult to navigate using just a keyboard. If there’s anything you cannot find please contact hello@scottishhumanrights.com
  • Some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software. You can request an accessible version or alternative format of any PDF by contacting us.
  • There are some minor issues throughout the site relating to colour contrast and the html tagging of links and anchors which may create a poor user experience for those with vision impairments or using screen reading technologies. We are working to rectify these issues. If you have any difficulty accessing information on the site please contact us. We also have the ReachDeck accessibility toolbar set up on our site.

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 hello@scottishhumanrights.com
  • call 0131 297 5750
  • get in touch via contactSCOTLAND-BSL

We’ll aim to get back to you in five 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 hello@scottishhumanrights.com
  • call 0131 297 5750
  • get in touch via contactSCOTLAND-BSL

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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

If you are due to visit our offices and require any assistance, including arranging a BSL interpreter or guide communicator, please contact us in advance.

  • email hello@scottishhumanrights.com
  • call 0131 297 5750
  • get in touch via contactSCOTLAND-BSL
  • write to us at Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh, EH7 4NS

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Scottish Human Rights Commission 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. Areas where the website is not compliant are listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

Microsites and subdomains

The microsites http://eqhria.scottishhumanrights.com/ and http://careaboutrights.scottishhumanrights.com/ fail to comply with WCAG 2.1 on the following issues:

  • Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
  • There is no visual indicator of keyboard focus. This makes it difficult for users to navigate the site using keyboard navigation. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (focus visible).
  • There is no way to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a “skip to main content” option). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (bypass blocks).
  • It’s not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (resize text).

Remedy

We have begun work to migrate these micro-sites to an accessible platform. This work is ongoing. 

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

PDFs and other documents

Some 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. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2.

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. However, we always strive to ensure our content is as accessible as possible. Therefore, if you come across a document that isn’t accessible please let us know.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 15th July 2022. The test was carried out internally.

A sitewide review was conducted using TextHelp's ReachDeck Toolbar.  In addition, all top level pages within the site were tested using the tools provided by Lighthouse and AChecker. A manual test was also carried out to check that alternative text and the labelling of links was meaningful and relevant.

We test:

  • our main website platform, available at www.scottishhumanrights.com

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website.

This statement was prepared on 4th February 2020. It was last updated on 19th July 2022.