Accessibility statement for UK Data Service

Accessibility statement for UK Data Service

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the www.ukdataservice.ac.uk domain. It does not apply to content published on subdomains.

This website is run by the UK Data Service. 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 using browser or device settings
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just 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’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.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:

  • Some of our older PDF and Word documents aren’t fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • Some of our images are missing alternative text.
  • Some pages have low contrast between text and background colours.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, plus if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille versions, please contact:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within seven working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

This website has recently undergone another major update with the aim of rectifying a number of accessibility issues. We will continue to review older documents that currently have accessibility issues with the intention of moving these to a more accessible format. Staff who provide content for the website have been made aware of accessibility requirements and have been trained to enable them to address these when adding new content and documents to the website.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact our Marketing and Communications Manager on 01206 872001 or contact our communications team by email.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

If you contact us before your visit we can arrange liaison with local agencies to provide sign language interpreters or lip speakers through Essex University’s Disability Service, subject to cost and availability. We hope to provide audio induction loops in the future, once we have the required technology to host this service.

Find out how to contact us.

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).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The UK Data Service 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’, listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to review these images on the site and add alternative text for all images in 2025.
  • Some pages currently show very low contrast between text and background colours, so people with low vision may have difficulty reading the text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (contrast minimum). We will address these contrast issues when we conduct any further web development.

Disproportionate burden

Some videos do not contain captions that have been checked for accuracy. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded). We provide captions for all pre-recorded videos published after 23 September 2020 using automated software and our staff follow guidance that helps improve the accuracy of captions created in this manner.

We believe that to edit and check all captions for accuracy would create a disproportionate burden considering the current resources of the UK Data Service and the volume of pre-recorded audio and video content. To edit all captions for accuracy at the present time would require that we removed a large volume of our videos from our website and third-party platforms, which we believe would be more detrimental to our users. We have set out a plan to make our pre-recorded audio and videos more accessible and in the interim, we will edit and check captions for accuracy for pre-recorded audio and video content that falls within the definition of ‘core’ or ‘key’ content (as defined by the UK Data Service).

We will also edit captions for accuracy for any specific audio or video recording when requested to do so by a user who has accessibility needs.

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

PDFs and other documents

Some of our older PDFs and Word documents don’t meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

The accessibility regulations do not require that we fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. However, we commissioned a design agency to create accessible templates for our documents in 2021 and we have already moved a number of our older PDF documents into these templates. We will move more of our older documents into accessible templates, subject to capacity, and will prioritise content that is used more frequently (identified via web analytics or user feedback).

Staff who create documents for publishing on the website have been provided with guidance and advice on how to make their documents more accessible.

We will aim to make any new PDFs or Word documents published on the website meet accessibility standards.

Recorded videos

Some of our older recorded videos do not contain captions. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded). The accessibility regulations do not apply to recorded videos published before 23 September 2020. We have provided captions for pre-recorded videos published after 23 September 2020. Please refer to the disproportionate burden section above for further details regarding our approach to captions.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 12 February 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. This test of a representative sample of pages was carried out by This is Fever Ltd who regularly work on our corporate UK Data Service website.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will be running regular accessibility checks and ensure that new content added to the website meets accessibility requirements.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 10 August 2021. It was last reviewed on 06 November 2024.

This website was last tested on 12 February 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by This is Fever Ltd.

Last updated 06 November 2024