Accessibility statement for Fife College (www.fife.ac.uk)
This website is managed by Fife College. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- 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 have also tried to make the website text as simple to understand as possible.
You can find useful advice on making your device easier to use by visiting AbilityNet, which provides step-by-step guides to making individual adjustments to your laptop, tablet, or smart phone.
Where we have identified issues with the website’s accessibility or compatibility with assistive technologies they are listed in this statement.
Fife College is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partly compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1AA standards, due to the non-compliances listed.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- some parts may not be fully compatible with screen readers
- you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
- the text will not reflow in a single column when you change the size of the browser window
- you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
- older and some recent PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- not all media will have a transcript, be subtitled or have audio descriptions
- live video streaming do not have captions
- some images do not have good alternative text
- colour contrast is not sufficient in some areas
- some webpages may have non-consecutive headings
- the purpose of some links may not be clear
- some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact:
Michelle Sweeney
Inclusion and Participation Manager
Glenrothes Campus
01592 223165
We will consider your request and get back to you in five working days. If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call, or email Contact Us for directions
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
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, contact: marketing@fife.ac.uk
For accessibility issues at an academic level, please contact:
Sharon Burns
Head of Digital Learning
Fife College Glenrothes Campus
01592 223717
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment. Contact Scotland (contactscotland-bsl.org)
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Find out how to contact Fife College: Contact Us
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Fife College 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
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 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.
Perceivable
Web page content must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
Text Alternatives
There are no text alternatives provided on some web pages. This can affect those who have difficulty understanding visual content, such as those who are blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, deaf, hearing impaired, or who have difficulty accessing audio content. As there is no text alternative content cannot be changed to other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
This includes some content on:
- About us
- Corporate and Governance information
- Course information
- Employer information
- Funding information
- Latest news
- Qualification information
- Student information
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Time Based Media
There are no text or audio alternatives provided for time-based media, for all video and audio content. There are no captions on videos, audio descriptions or transcriptions. This can affect those who are blind, partially sighted, deaf, hearing impaired, have cognitive difficulties or who have issues with concentration. Screen readers, braille displays and text to speech are affected due to no transcriptions being available.
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Adaptable
Some web pages contain content which cannot be presented in different ways, such as a simpler layout without losing information or structure. This can affect those who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind. As content cannot be changed, for example if colour is used to convey information without a text alternative, screen readers and braille displays may not be able to access content.
This includes some content on:
- Course information
- Digital Information
- Funding information
- Site Map
- Student information
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Distinguishable
Some webpages contain colour being used to convey information. Some webpages have a low contrast level between text and background level. On some web pages, the text cannot be resized. This can affect those who are partially sighted, are colour blind or are using limited colour monochrome displays. Text cannot be resized and there is no text alternative for colours conveying information.
This includes some content on:
- Employer information
- Latest News
- Student information
- Prospectus
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Operable
Navigable
Some web pages are missing content which will assist visitors to navigate, finding content and determining where they are. This can affect those with motion impairment, cognitive limitations and visual disabilities. This can affect skipping links, using alternative means to navigate the screen such as a keyboard and it may be difficult to return to content. Screen readers may not be able to access the content to show the links meaning.
This includes some content on:
- School information
- Prospectus
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Understandable
Readable
Some webpages contain content within which content may not be readable or understandable. This will affect those who are blind, partially sighted, dyslexic or who have literacy issues. Screen readers, braille displays, text-to-speech software and captioning software may not be able to access the content.
This includes some content on:
- Campus information
- Study with us
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Robust
Compatible
Some web pages contain content which may not be compatible with assistive technologies. This may affect those who are blind, partially sighted, have physical or mobility difficulties. Screen readers, screen magnifiers and speech recognition software may not work with this content.
This includes some content on:
- About us
- Case studies
- Course information
- Events
- Schools information
- Student information
- Study with us
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Documents
Some documents may not contain some content which will currently work with a screen reader, braille display or text to speech. Not all images, graphs, charts, tables and objects contain alternative text.
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Time Based Media
Some Time Based Media (video and audio( may not contain captions or audio description
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
We improve our website accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we are doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our site accessibility.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Technical information
Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
WCAG 2.1 1.1.1 Non-Text Content Level A
All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose.
This Success Criterion helps people who have difficulty perceiving visual content. Assistive technology can read text aloud, present it visually, or convert it to braille.
Text alternatives may help some people who have difficulty understanding the meaning of photographs, drawings, and other images (e.g., line drawings, graphic designs, paintings, three-dimensional representations), graphs, charts, animations, etc.
People who are deaf, are hard of hearing, or who are having trouble understanding audio information for any reason can read the text presentation. Research is ongoing regarding automatic translation of text into sign language.
People who are deaf-blind can read the text in braille.
Additionally, text alternatives support the ability to search for non-text content and to repurpose content in a variety of ways.
WCAG 2.1: 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Pre-recorded) Level A
For pre-recorded audio-only and pre-recorded video-only media, the following are true, except when the audio or video is a media alternative for text and is clearly labelled. Pre-recorded Audio-only: An alternative for time-based media is provided that presents equivalent information for pre-recorded audio-only content. Pre-recorded Video-only: Either an alternative for time-based media or an audio track is provided that presents equivalent information for pre-recorded video-only content.
Pre-recorded Video-only: Either an alternative for time-based media or an audio track is provided that presents equivalent information for pre-recorded video-only content.
This Success Criterion helps people who have difficulty perceiving visual content. Assistive technology can read text alternatives aloud, present them visually, or convert them to braille.
Alternatives for timed-based media that are text based may help some people who have difficulty understanding the meaning of pre-recorded video content.
People who are deaf, are hard of hearing, or who are having trouble understanding audio information for any reason can read the text presentation. Research is ongoing regarding automatic translation of text into sign language.
People who are deaf-blind can read the text in braille.
Additionally, text supports the ability to search for non-text content and to repurpose content in a variety of ways.
WCAG 2.1: 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded) Level A
Captions are provided for all pre-recorded audio content in synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labelled as such.
People who are deaf or have a hearing loss can access the auditory information in the synchronized media content through captions. Lack of transcription affects those who rely on screen readers, brille displays and
WCAG 2.1 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Pre-recorded) Level A
An alternative for time-based media or audio description of the pre-recorded video content is provided for synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labelled as such.
This Success Criterion may help some people who have difficulty watching video or other synchronized media content, including people who have difficulty perceiving or understanding moving images.
WCAG 2.1 1.2.5 Audio Description (Pre-recorded) Level AA
Audio description is provided for all pre-recorded video content in synchronized media.
People who are blind or have low vision as well as those with cognitive limitations who have difficulty interpreting visually what is happening benefit from audio description of visual information.
Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout) without losing information or structure.
WCAG 2.1: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships Level A
Information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation can be programmatically determined or are available in text.
This Success Criterion helps people with different disabilities by allowing user agents to adapt content according to the needs of individual users.
Users who are blind (using a screen reader) benefit when information conveyed through colour is also available in text (including text alternatives for images that use colour to convey information).
Users who are deaf-blind using braille (text) refreshable displays may be unable to access colour-dependent information.
Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.
WCAG 2.1 1.4.1 Level A Use of Colour
Colour is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.
Users with partial sight often experience limited colour vision.
Some older users may not be able to see colour well.
Users who have colour-blindness benefit when information conveyed by colour is available in other visual ways.
People using limited colour monochrome displays may be unable to access colour-dependent information.
Users who have problems distinguishing between colours can look or listen for text cues.
WCAG 2.1: 1.4.3 Level AA Contrast (Minimum)
The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
People with low vision often have difficulty reading text that does not contrast with its background. This can be exacerbated if the person has a colour vision deficiency that lowers the contrast even further. Providing a minimum luminance contrast ratio between the text and its background can make the text more readable even if the person does not see the full range of colours. It also works for the rare individuals who see no colour.
WCAG 2.1: 1.4.4 Resize text Level AA
Except for captions and images of text, text can be resized without assistive technology up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.
This Success Criterion helps people with low vision by letting them increase text size in content so that they can read it.
User interface components and navigation must be operable.
Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.
WCAG 2.1: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) Level A
The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general.
This Success Criterion helps people with motion impairment by letting them skip links that they are not interested in, avoiding the keystrokes needed to visit the referenced content and then returning to the current content.
People with cognitive limitations will not become disoriented by multiple means of navigation to and from content they are not interested in.
People with visual disabilities will be able to determine the purpose of a link by exploring the link's context.
Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
Make text content readable and understandable.
WCAG 2.1 3.1.1 Language of Page
The default human language of each Web page can be programmatically determined.
This Success Criterion helps:
people who use screen readers or other technologies that convert text into synthetic speech;
people who find it difficult to read written material with fluency and accuracy, such as recognizing characters and alphabets or decoding words;
people with certain cognitive, language and learning disabilities who use text-to-speech software
people who rely on captions for synchronized media.
Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.
Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.
WCAG 2.1: 4.1.1 Parsing Level A
In content implemented using mark-up languages, elements have complete start and end tags, elements are nested according to their specifications, elements do not contain duplicate attributes, and any IDs are unique, except where the specifications allow these features.
Ensuring that Web pages have complete start and end tags and are nested according to specification helps ensure that assistive technologies can parse the content accurately and without crashing.
WCAG 2.1: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value Level A
For all user interface components (including but not limited to: form elements, links and components generated by scripts), the name and role can be programmatically determined; states, properties, and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set; and notification of changes to these items is available to user agents, including assistive technologies.
Providing role, state, and value information on all user interface components enables compatibility with assistive technology, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software, used by people with disabilities.
Documents
Some documents may not contain some content which will currently work with a screen reader, braille display or text to speech. Not all images, graphs, charts, tables and objects contain alternative text.
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Time Based Media
Some Time Based Media (video and audio) may not contain captions or audio description.
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix these issues.
Disproportionate burden
Navigation and accessing information
- It is not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content.
- It is not possible for users to change text size without some of the content missing.
Interactive tools and transactions Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag.
- We have assessed the cost of fixing the issues with navigation and accessing information, and with interactive tools and transactions. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will make another assessment when it goes to tender for a new Fife College website in December 23.
Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. We plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages as we review each page. We will also try to ensure any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards and where we find any that are not accessible, we will rectify this as soon as possible.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they are not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix archive material such as non-essential documents
Regulations for PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018.
These Regulations do not apply to the following content of a website or mobile application of a public sector body—
- office file formats published before 23rd September 2018, unless such content is needed for active administrative processes relating to the tasks performed by the public sector body;
- pre-recorded time-based media published before 23rd September 2020;
- live time-based media; (video and audio)
- (d)online maps and mapping services, as long as essential information is provided in an accessible digital manner for maps intended for navigational use;
- third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of, the public sector body;
- reproductions of items in heritage collections that cannot be made fully accessible because of either—
- the incompatibility of the accessibility requirement with either the preservation of the item concerned or the authenticity of the reproduction; or
- 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;
- content of extranets and intranets published before 23rd September 2019, until such websites undergo a substantial revision; and
- content of websites and mobile applications qualifying as archives.
Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Maps
Our website uses online maps. Accessible formats can be requested by emailing MichelleSweeney@fife.ac.uk
Fife College are aware of this and are working to fix this issue.
Third-party content
Our website contains third-party content. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content, but we make best endeavours to work with the third party to improve its accessibility. The problems that may occur include:
- Colour contrast issues
- Keyboard navigation not functional
- Videos closed captions missing
- Missing ALT tags
- Links to non-College websites
- Some headings are not tagged appropriately
We know that some of third-party content linked from our websites and applications is not accessible. The accessibility regulations do not apply to third-party content that is not funded, developed, or controlled by the University, and many of these sites have their own accessibility statements. We will work with our suppliers to make sure they know about any accessibility issues we find.
What we are doing to improve accessibility
Fife College is working towards a fully accessible new website that should be up and running January 2024, we will continue to:
- A regular weekly central website audit using an automated service, followed by manual prioritisation of issues with key user journeys
- Monthly meetings between web developer and web editor colleagues to identify and review accessibility issues, and outline a plan for their resolution
- Ongoing full College web estate audit, to assess issues with site accessibility, security, and data protection.
- Support, guidance, and training in development for college staff to increase awareness of accessibility and what our responsibilities are.
- From February 2023 onwards we are running a series of workshops and campaigns to highlight the importance of accessibility and train users in how to audit and then improve the accessibility of published content and services.
- Accessibility improvements, bug fixes and development work to fix issues will be recorded to keep a record of work completed.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 22 September 2020. It was last reviewed and updated on 31st January 2023
This website was last tested in January 2023. The test was carried out by the Fife college Digital Team.
Our website is tested on a regular basis, with Localised, Live, Accessibility and Modification Analyzer (LLAMA) in house developed tool, axe DevTools - Web Accessibility Testing - Chrome Web Store (google.com) and NVDA screen reader on Edge.
Manual checks are also performed on a sample of pages on www.fife.ac.uk
Issues are prioritised according to the severity of the impact it may cause, the number of people that may be impacted and the time involved in resolving the issue.
Other sites within our domain
Fife College’s digital environment consists of many related sub-sites: such as our student record system, Virtual desktop our Human Resources system and our helpdesk application. Accessibility statements for such sub-sites will be created and added to our new Accessibility web page, operational from 1 February 2023.