This accessibility statement applies to the Leeds Beckett University Archive and Special Collections website at https://libguides.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/archives.
This website is run by Leeds Beckett 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.
The Library’s software page provides information on assistive software which may help in using our systems and websites.
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
If you need information on the content of our systems and websites in a different format (for example accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille) please email libraryaltformats@leedsbeckett.ac.uk. We'll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our systems and websites. If you find any problems or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact h.loughran@leedsbeckett.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).
The Library supports the use of The Next Generation Text Service. Alternatively you can email us or contact us by online chat.
You can find out all the ways you can get in touch with us on the Library website Contact Us page.
Leeds Beckett University is committed to making its websites 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 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
The heading structure could be improved to work better for screen readers. This relates to WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). This has been queried with the supplier.
External content
We link to the Leeds Beckett University AtoM Online Archive. The Online Archive is a catalogue of our holdings. We use AtoM (Access to Memory) archival description software to make this catalogue available.
We are aware that there are accessibility issues with the Online Archive. These include the absence of a ‘Skip to Main Content’ link and instances of: missing alternative text; text and other elements such as icons and buttons with low contrast against the background colour; text which is not visible when the size is increased to 200%; accessibility issues with the Search box and Advanced search options form (e.g. some form fields not marked up correctly); extra content which appears on focus and cannot consistently be dismissed by the user; keyboard operability issues (e.g. some items which cannot be accessed using the keyboard, and instances where it is difficult to tell where the keyboard focus is); duplicated page titles; and issues accessing the site on a mobile device (e.g. inability to zoom in using just one finger). These issues may also make it difficult to access the Online Archive using screen reading software.
We are restricted by the limitations of AtoM software, which has been developed over a long time by many different collaborators. There are moves within the AtoM community to resolve as many accessibility issues as possible retrospectively. AtoM is community-driven, and the developers are looking to work with one of the more prominent Canadian institutions to sponsor accessibility development in successive iterations of the software.
There are also some accessibility issues with items in the online archive, however these are exempt from the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 as they are:
“reproductions of items in heritage collections that cannot be made fully accessible because of either—
(i)the incompatibility of the accessibility requirement with either the preservation of the item concerned or the authenticity of the reproduction; or
(ii)the unavailability of automated and cost-efficient solutions that would easily extract the text of manuscripts or other items in heritage collections and transform it into content compatible with the accessibility requirement;”
If you encounter any issues using the Online Archive or would like further information about it please contact us.
PDFs and other documents
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. For example, we do not plan to fix the PDF documents linked to from the Features tab.
We are currently investigating and working to fix the accessibility issue we have identified and detailed in the Non-accessible content section above.
WCAG 2.2 was published on 5 October 2023 and added six new criteria for compliance at level AA. We assessed the Archive and Special Collections website against the new criteria and updated this statement and our internal accessibility guidance accordingly. The provider of our website system is also planning upcoming changes to its appearance. Once these have happened we will look to carry out a full audit against all WCAG 2.2 criteria on a sample of pages.
This statement was prepared on 11 December 2023. It was last reviewed on 11 December 2023.
This website was last tested during January - February 2021. The testing was carried out by an individual member of Leeds Beckett University Library staff with advice and input from colleagues.
The following pages on the Archive website were tested:Welcome, Contact, Features, History, Collections.
Content was tested manually for conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The Gov.uk detailed checklist was used for testing, supported by guidance notes compiled from various sources including Understanding WCAG 2.1, and tools such as a screen reader (JAWS 2018), Colour Contrast Analyser, WAVE Evaluation Tool, ATbar and a Line Height Adjuster Google Chrome extension. Testing was carried out using a Windows PC, Android mobile device or iPhone, as appropriate.
