Accessibility
Accessibility statement for iow.gov.uk
This accessibility statement applies to the www.iow.gov.uk website. It does not cover subdomains which are covered by other accessibility statements.
This website is run by the Isle of Wight Council.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. You should be able to
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We also make the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
This Accessibility Statement will be updated as we make improvements.
How accessible is this website
We aim to meet the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at AA level
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible
- most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- live video streams do not have captions
- controls do not clearly indicate when they are selected
- interactive components are not far enough apart
- focus is partly obscured
- links do not always explain their purpose
- some pages require zooming and 2D scrolling on small screen
- some form controls do not have labels
- not all pages have titles
- not all pages have sufficient contrast
- not all lists are marked up correctly
- not all pages specify the language
- not all forms have a submit button
- adjacent links are not always combined when going to the same destination
- not all tables have headers and scope
- not all links can be used by screen readers
Feedback and contact information
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements you can get in touch.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille contact us
- Email the digital content team at digitalcontent@iow.gov.uk
- Phone us on 01983 821000
we will consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Isle of Wight Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons
Main website
Interactive component distance: This fails WCAG 2.2 AA 2.5.8 - Target size (Minimum).
All interactive components on a page, such as buttons or menus, should be far enough apart from other interactive areas, to avoid them being used by mistake.
MyAccount
Text contrast: This fails WCAG 2.0 AA 1.4.3 - Contrast (Minimum). To comply with WCAG AA, the colour of text must sufficiently contrast with its background colour, so that people with moderate visual impairments can read it.
Semantic links: This fails WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1 - Info and relationships. Lists of related items should be written semantically as a list.
Heading text: This fails WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1 - Info and relationships. Heading elements (<h1>, <h2>, ...) must contain some machine-readable text content.
PDF documents
All PDF content on this site has not been produced with accessibility in mind, and thus many will likely have accessibility issues, including those published after September 2018.
Page structure
Some pages have duplicate titles. This may make it difficult for users to orient themselves and find the right content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
Some interactive elements, particularly hyperlinks, are too small or too close together, making them difficult to activate accurately. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.5.8 (Target Size (Minimum).
Some interactive controls may not clearly indicate their selected state, potentially causing confusion for users who rely on assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).Some interactive controls may have their focus indicators partially or fully obscured, hindering users ability to visually track their location during keyboard navigation. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 (Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)).
Some pages require zooming and 2D scrolling on small screens. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.10
Not all pages have titles. This fails WCAG 2.0 2.4.2
Not all lists are marked up correctly. This fails 2.0 A 1.3.1
Not all pages specify the language. This fails WCAG 2.0 A 3.1.1
Images
All non-decorative images must have alternative text which describes the image to users who are unable to it. Some images are missing alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.2 1.1.1: Non-text Content.
All images and icons missing alternative text will be fixed by the web content team.
Inline frame without a text alternative
Inline frames (or iframes) show content from another part of the web. All inline frames should have a text alternative that describes its function for users with assistive technology. The inline frame on the planned road maintenance page is missing a text alternative. This fails WCAG 2.2 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value.
Tables
Some tables do not have headers so it might be difficult to understand what the contents of the table means. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
Some tables do not contain a valid scope attribute which helps users of assistive technology to understand what the header refers to This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
Not all tables have headers and scope
Navigation
Content on some pages of our website have issues with the order due to the way in which certain content is accessed when navigating using a keyboard.
Links
In some cases, the same link text is used more than once on a webpage but does not link to the same place every time. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context).
Some text links do not clearly explain their purpose, so users may not easily predict where they lead. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context).
Not all links can be used by screen readers
Adjacent links are not always combined when going to the same destination
Our online reporting forms are difficult to navigate when just using a keyboard. This does not meet success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard of the WCAG 2.1 AA standards
Form submit button: This fails WCAG 2.0 A 3.2.2 - On Input. Forms should always contain a submit button, otherwise some people using accessible technologies may not be able to submit the form.
Some form elements are not associated with the visible labels, so are not announced in a useful way by a screen reader. This fails WCAG success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
Form errors are not automatically detected for screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.1: Error Identification, 3.3.3: Error Suggestion and 4.1.3: Status Messages
We plan to group elements with their programmatic labels by 30 September 2024.
The error messaging on some of our forms is generic and does not describe how to correct the error. This fails WCAG success criterion 3.3.3 (Error suggestion).
Not all forms have a submit button
Third party applications - disproportionate burden
Some of our applications and forms are built and hosted through third party software where we cannot directly make changes to the applications ourselves. We have not been able to fix these issues in the past as it placed a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. However, we are working with suppliers to remedy this and will update this statement with improvements.
These include:
- Our credit card and bill payment services, Isle of Wight Council Secure Payments, are supplied by Capita. This system is not fully accessible due to:
- no language attribute on the <html> tag
- not all images have alternative text
- some pages use a timed refresh
- Our planning system is provided by IDOX on our behalf and is not fully compliant due to issues with sufficient colour contrast on some sections of this application.
- Our Registrars appointment booking system is provided on our behalf by Stopford, it currently has some minor accessibility issues and we are working with the provider to fix these issues
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Information made available through our archives and archive documents are not within the scope of the regulations. Please email: digitalcontent@iow.gov.uk for help accessing this information.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This accessibility statement was last updated 16 November 2024