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Accessibility Statement for Our Story 2

This accessibility statement applies to the Android and iOS versions of the Our Story 2 mobile application.

How accessible this app is 

We strive to exceed current accessibility standards. However, we know some elements of this app is not fully accessible.

Our Story has been designed so that those with limited language abilities can make use of the app. Consequently, the design of the app has given priority to features that will enable a simple and intuitive set of operations to create a digital picture book. The app has been used successfully with pre-school children; young people with learning and with language disabilities, and individuals who have dementia. 

The app also currently is an essential part of a drive to promote healthy eating in young children from several European countries through the use of eBooks that are freely available on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology web site and at several other locations. 

We are actively seeking to address the accessibility limitations which are detailed below in the non-compliance with the accessibility regulations.

Feedback and contact information

If you find that a certain section of our app is not accessible and you can’t get access to the information that you need please use the Open University Accessibility Feedback Form to request support and we will ensure that you are provided with the information you require. You will need to provide your contact details and Personal Identifier if you are a student so we can get back to you. You should expect to hear back from us within 5 working days. 

The Open University is very experienced in meeting accessibility needs for our students. In many cases we are able to provide module and other study support materials in alternative formats for students who indicate a need for this when completing a Disability Support Form.

Students can contact their Student Support Team for ongoing advice and guidance.

Reporting accessibility problems with this app

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our apps. If you find a problem that isn’t already listed on this page, or you think we’re not meeting the requirements of the current accessibility regulations (Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018), please use the Open University Accessibility Feedback Form which is monitored daily. 

We will ask you for the Mobile App name, details of the screen and a description of the problem. We will also ask for your name and email address so that we can contact you about your feedback. You should expect to hear back from us within 5 working days.

Enforcement procedure

If you are a student, or someone who has had contact with the University before, and have a complaint about the accessibility of our websites and apps, you should raise a complaint via the complaints and appeals process

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 our response and all our procedures have been exhausted, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS). If you are based in Northern Ireland you can contact the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

If you are neither a student, nor someone who has had contact with the University before and have a complaint about the accessibility of our website, you should go directly to the EASS.

Contacting us

If you wish to contact us about anything not covered above, please visit our Contact Page where we have a comprehensive list of services to suit your specific enquiry and requirements.

Technical information about this app’s accessibility 

The Open University is committed to making its websites and apps accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance Status

This app is not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard. The non-compliances are listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Details of issues found while testing the Our Story 2 App can be found below. The intention is to fix the issues by October 2021.

Orientation

The app only works in landscape display and does not respond when rotated to work in portrait display (Android and iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.3.4 (Orientation).

Colour contrast

Some text does not provide enough contrast with the background, making it more difficult to read. For example, text in buttons on the home screen ("Get Started", "Create New Story", "Use Existing Story"), and labels and instructions on the Create new story screen (e.g. “Tap to add new title”, “New Photo”) (Android and iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.3 (Contrast).

Some icons in buttons do not provide enough contrast with the background, making them difficult to distinguish (Android and iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.4.11 (Non-text contrast).

Using a screen reader

Logos on the home screen do not have alternative text that can be read by screen readers (Android and iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text content).

Throughout the App, a number of the icon buttons do not have labels that can be read by screen readers. For example, “Back”, “Settings”, “Publish” and “Help” (Android and iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.4 (Link purpose)

On the Create story screen, when using a screen reader, you can't select and drag an image into the story (Android + iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 4.1.2 (Name, role, value).

Target size

On the Home screen and in the Preferences dialog, buttons and tick boxes are below the required target size, making them difficult to activate (Android + iOS). This fails WCAG 2.1 Success Criteria 2.5.5 (Target size).

(Note: WCAG 2.1 Success Criteria 2.5.5 Target size is a Level AAA criteria, and we are not required to support this as part of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations. However, we believe that this is an important aspect of app accessibility and so we have included this in our accessibility testing for apps).

Disproportionate burden 

We are not claiming Disproportionate Burden for this app.

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

We do not have anything out of scope in this app.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

As we build new websites and apps, we strive to ensure that they are accessible and comply with the current legislation. We also review and audit older sites and apps to identify what changes we need to make to improve accessibility. 

The Open University website and apps development process has stages that test the usability and accessibility of new and updated platforms, activities and services against WCAG 2.1. As well as working with external consultants, an internal Accessibility and Usability Evaluation team helps to offer guidance in this area and to ensure that accessibility and usability are embedded in the design and development process for developers and content creators. 

These activities ensure that we are meeting and responding to the changing digital requirements of our students and users as well as developing and delivering systems, apps and websites which are as accessible and usable as possible.

The Open University is committed to accessibility and demonstrates this in a number of different ways:

The Securing Greater Accessibility team (SeGA) was set up in 2010 as a university-wide initiative to promote accessibility and inclusive practice and support students and staff. SeGA offers training and guidance in accessibility in teaching and learning and oversees forums and activities for a wider community of practice and research. SeGA also runs a network of over 50 accessibility champions and coordinators, who work as points of contact on accessibility queries within their respective academic areas. 

Staff at The Open University are offered on-demand accessibility training in a variety of topics to support them to carry out their roles. This will be complemented in the future by the introduction of bespoke, mandatory training in accessibility for all staff to complete in order to further embed accessibility good practice. 

The Open University Library provides wide-ranging support to students with disabilities and specific requirements. As well as working with students directly to offer guidance in accessible resources, the Open University Library staff work with publishers to help improve the accessibility of their products.

The Open University aims to make studying as accessible as possible and a range of adjustments and support are available. A well-established disability support team provides guidance for students and arranges for students to have support when accessing digital content online or alternatively, access to a variety of formats. A wealth of resources for information and guidance in enabling students to study as effectively as possible in the digital environment are available via the help centre. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 19 May 2021. It was last reviewed on 19 May 2021.

This app was last tested on 17 May 2021. The test was carried out by The Open University.

We selected the key user screens in the app to base our sample testing on which included the: ‘Home’ screen, ‘Get Started’ screen, ‘Create New Story’ screen, ‘My Stories’ screen and ‘Help’ screen.

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