Web accessibility statement

We want to make sure that our online information and services are available to everyone. We have developed our websites to try and remove potential barriers to access that may be presented to people with disabilities. We feel that this not only reduces exclusion but also increases the overall usability for everyone else.

Our websites have been developed according to standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and guidelines provided by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

Level of accessibility

Our policy is to comply with Priority level 2 (AA) of the W3C accessibility guidelines (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and 2.0). 

Known problems on this site

Maps:
Our online mapping is currently not compliant with Priority 2 level of the accessibility guidelines. In particular:

• The use of a mouse (or other pointing device) is necessary to specify a point on the map. A keyboard cannot be used.
• Javascript must be enabled to use the maps.
• Currently we make extensive use of colour to highlight areas on the map. It is planned in the near future to supplement this with the use of patterns.

It is possible to view data in text format as well as on maps but if you have problems accessing data available on our maps you can request it in a more suitable format by emailing webmaster@southlakeland.gov.uk

PDFs:
We make extensive use of PDFs throughout the site. Many of these PDFs are unstructured and may not read in the correct order when used with screen-reading software. Additionally some of our PDFs contain images that do not have textual equivalent.

We recognise the importance of providing accessible information. Problems with downloadable documents have been identified as part of our Equality Impact Assessment process and we are working to reduce the amount of information we provide in non-html format. Some information will be retained in PDF format; where this is the case, summaries of their contents will be provided in html and the PDF itself will be made as accessible as possible by structuring, providing alternative text for images and making the reading order simple.

What to do if you find a problem on this site

We know we don’t always get it completely right and we are trying to improve all the time. If you find something that is stopping you from getting equal access to our web services please contact the web manager in the first instance webmaster@southlakeland.gov.uk

Make sure to let us know details of the technology you are using. We will make every reasonable effort to either remove the barrier or provide the information in a format that you find acceptable.

What we do to make sure our site is accessible

Accessibility and plain language principles are written into the training and guidelines that our editors use. These include:

• Trying to keep a consistent layout and navigation system.
• Try to create an ordered structure to webpages and downloadable files.
• Try to provide downloadable files in a system-neutral format such as PDF and where possible in a variety of formats.
• Making sure that all text can be resized by users.
• Use text and background colour combinations with sufficient contrast and which are not known to cause problems for sufferers of colour-blindness.
• Use meaningful alt attributes on all images, and titles on links.
• Ensure all links use descriptive and meaningful text.
• Provide links for users with screen readers or keyboards to skip to the main content of each page.
• Trying not to use jargon or unnecessarily complicated words and sentences.
• Provide a means to have our website read aloud.

How we check the accessibility of our site

• We regularly run checks using automated software against the live site.
• We conduct manual and automated checks against all of the WCAG1.0 priority 1 & 2 checkpoints for new templates and applications built in-house.
• We conduct manual and automated checks against all of the WCAG1.0 priority 1 & 2 checkpoints on new third-party applications bought in. If non-compliance issues are found we alert the supplier and make recommendations on how to make applications compliant. So far we have found most suppliers more than willing to co-operate.
• Pages are moderated for plain language and grammar and spelling errors before publication.

You can help us to improve the site

We always need volunteers with disabilities to help test the site and let us know where we may be creating problems. If you wish to be involved please contact the Web Manager webmaster@southlakeland.gov.uk. Thank you.