Library Services Accessibility Statement: Being Digital


This accessibility statement applies to the Being digital website. This accessibility statement should be read in conjunction with the University’s general accessibility statement; this statement covers information that applies to the Being digital website that is not covered in the general statement.

The Being digital website is run by Library Services at The Open University, using Xerte which is provided by a 3rd party. This accessibility statement describes the process by which we ensure that the site is accessible. The site is accessed via https://www.open.ac.uk/libraryservices/beingdigital

This statement covers the Being digital site which has been substantially changed since September 2018.

The Open University’s web presence consists of several million individual pages across numerous websites. We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites, and accessibility is an essential part of our mission. To adapt the content to your needs or preferences in most cases you should be able to :

  • Change colours, contrasts levels and fonts.
  • Resize text up to 200% without impact on the functionality of the website.
  • Zoom in up to 400% without loss of information or functionality, or the need to scroll in more than one direction.
  • Navigate the website using just a keyboard.
    • tab to ‘Skip to content’ links at the top of the page to jump over repetitive information to the main content.
    • tab through the content; the current location will be indicated by a clear visual change.
    • control the embedded media player to play audio and video materials.
  • Use a screen reader (e.g. JAWs, NVDA) to :
    • listen to the content of web pages and use any functionality on the page.
    • list the headings and subheadings in the page and then jump to their location on the page.
    • bring up a list of meaningful links on the page.
  • Use transcripts or closed captions with most audio and video materials.
  • Download learning materials in alternative formats (e.g. Word document, PDF).
  • If you have a print disability we provide SensusAccess to students, which is an automated service that converts files from one format to another, for example, PDF to text, audio, Word or Braille.

For additional accessibility for websites associated with teaching and learning, students should read the Learning Accessibility Statement (you will be required to sign in using an Open University student or staff account to read this statement). If any module-specific accessibility-related guidance is needed beyond the Learning Systems statement, you will find this in the Accessibility Guide on your module website.

For additional accessibility information about Student Support sites (including StudentHome, the Help Centre, Student Policy and Regulations) and other sites designed to support students but excluding the websites covered within the Learning Systems statement, students should read the Student Support Accessibility Statement.

How accessible this website is

We strive to exceed current accessibility standards. However, we know some elements of Open University websites are not fully accessible:

  • Older legacy and archived material.
  • Some third-party content not created by The Open University.
  • Sites linked from Open University pages but not run by the Open University.
  • Some activities (for example some of those involving maps, charts, graphs, online-experiments, interactive activities and features).
  • Some content with specialised notations, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and music.
  • Older PDFS and Word documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • The colour contrast for some text and some interface components (for example search boxes, check boxes) does not provide enough contrast

We aim to provide accessible alternative content or activities where we can. For more information please visit What Support is Available and for more guidance please visit Studying on a Screen

Feedback and contact information

If you find that a certain section of our website is not accessible and you can’t get access to the information that you need please use this 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 PI 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 OU 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.

In addition, some module materials are available in different formats and can be downloaded from module websites. Students can contact their Student Support Team for advice.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our websites. 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 this accessible Feedback Form which is monitored daily.

We will ask you for the web address (URL) of the page 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, 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 use this Accessibility support and feedback form.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Open University 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 listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Moving to the next page in an activity

When moving to the next page in an activity the screen reader focus remains at the bottom of the page . This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.3.

Solution

You can work around this with these instructions:

  • Move to Aria Main region to move to top of the page
    • JAWS Q
    • NVDA Shift + D
  • Move to the heading at the top of the page
    • JAWS/NVDA H

Pressing Enter to activate the Next button and move to the next page does not always work with JAWS if focus hasn’t been moved to any other part of the page e.g. if using the Next button to move through pages and not read them. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.3 (Focus Order).

Solution

You can work around this with these instructions:

  • List the forms on the page and move to N for Next
    • JAWS INSERT+F5
  • Or in JAWS press F to move through the form fields.

Quizzes

In quizzes when moving to the next question, screen readers read the question title and focus then moves to the top of the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.3 (Focus Order).

Solution

You can work around this with these instructions:

  • Quiz questions are heading level 3, move through headings to locate this.
    • JAWS/NVDA H

Tabbed Panels

Tabbed panels do not work with JAWS or NVDA. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 2.4.3 (Focus Order).

Solution

You can work around this with these instructions:

  • Use the Word or PDF document, as indicated in the activity title.

Or

  • Use NVDA:
    • Tab to the appropriate information tab.
    • Press Enter to select it.
    • Tab on until you leave the Tabbable area.
    • Use the up arrow and you should hear the text in the panel. Use up arrow to go to the beginning of the text where there’s a heading.
    • Use the down arrow to read it in order.

Content controlled by the supplier

We have identified these issues with Xerte, the 3rd-party software, which we use to create Being digital activities.

We are unable to fix these accessibility issues ourselves as they are not within our direct control. However, we have worked closely with the supplier to fix them. The known issues have been resolved but we are awaiting availability of the next release which is due by end of June 2021.

If the issues listed are likely to cause a problem for you, we have provided Word and PDF versions of all activities as an accessible alternative.

Screen reader users are advised within the activity title if it is best for them to use the Word/PDF of an activity.

Disproportionate burden

We are not claiming Disproportionate Burden in relation to this website.

Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulation

This website does not have anything out of scope of the regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

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

The Open University website 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 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 17th September 2019. It was last reviewed on 10 October 2022.

This website was last tested in September 2022. The test was carried out by Library Services using a combination of manual and automated methods.

We used this approach to decide on a sample of pages to test: the audit was based on checking the website hosting Being digital and each individual activity.


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