Accessibility

Introduction

This accessibility statement applies to the content published on https://igo.eastsussex.gov.uk/ 
East Sussex County Council runs this website.
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
  • use 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.

Tips for using this website

You can use the Accessibility toolbar on this site to: 

  • change the colour / contrast levels
  • change the font size

If you would like to read this website in another language, use Google Translate.

If you are having any problems using this site, please contact us on:

We use all feedback to help us make further improvements.

Enlarge text

There are various ways in which you can change the size of text on this site:

  • You can click on the different 'A' letters in this sites' accessibility toolbar. Try the different options until you find a size that best suits you
  • Using a mouse with a scrolling wheel, you can increase and decrease the size of text. You can do this by holding down the Ctrl key while rotating the mouse wheel towards you or away from you.
  • Change your zoom or magnify settings via your internet browser
  • Use your keyboard to zoom in (press Ctrl and +), or zoom out (press Ctrl and –)
  • Change the settings on your computer or laptop. Go to the Settings / Control Panel on your computer or laptop to make the changes.
     

Screen readers

NVDA is a free non-visual desktop access tool. Please visit the NV Access website for more information:

Narrator is the screen reader software built into the Windows 10 operating system. Please visit the Microsoft website for more information:

Useful websites for accessibility

If you have a visual impairment, you'll find helpful advice on the RNIB website:

You can visit AbilityNet for guides on how to make web pages easier to read:

Some smartphones also have their own accessibility options. For example, Apple, Samsung and Huawei. Please visit their individual sites for more information:

All non-text content on this site has a text alternative.

How accessible is this website

Most of our website should be accessible. It should work well when used with access devices such as:

  • Screen readers
  • Braille readers
  • Smartphones and other devices

We know some content on this website is not fully accessible.
A detailed list of known accessibility issues and how we plan to address them is available further down this statement. We regularly review the site and add further issues to this statement as they are identified.

Feedback and contact information

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’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please email:

i-go@eastsussex.gov.uk 

It would be helpful if your email contained:

  • The link of the page(s) that you are having difficulties with
  • The nature of your disability, if applicable
  • A description of the problem

If you have a solution to suggest, please feel free to do so.

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, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS). You can find their contact details, by visiting their site:

Technical information about this website's accessibility

We are committed to making this website accessible. This is 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.
This is due to the non-compliances listed below. You can learn more about these guidelines on the W3 website:

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Documents

Some documents in PDF (Portable Document Format) and Word format may not be accessible. For example, they may not be structured, so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion  4.1.2.
The PDFs and Word documents were reviewed in January 2023. Where necessary, they were fixed to ensure they were accessible. Any new Word documents we publish should meet accessibility standards.
This will be reviewed again in January 2024.

We’ve trained all our web authors in how to produce accessible PDF and Word documents, including how to use automated accessibility checkers. We conduct regular audits and manual checks of accessibility issues with documents and work with web authors to improve the accessibility of documents, especially popular ones. All new documents should be accessible.
We are currently making documents more accessible, before re-uploading them. 
This was last tested on January 2023. The test was carried out manually and using Silktide.

Text contrast

The colour of text must strongly contrast with its background colour. This is to comply with the strictest accessibility standard (WCAG AAA). This make it easier for people with significant visual impairments to read it.

The contrast ratio must be at least:

  • 7:1 for body text, and
  • 4.5:1 for large text

We understand some of the text on this site does not meet these standards.

We are currently reviewing this. We aim to improve the contrast and make text easier to read.

This was last tested on December 2023. The test was carried out using Silktide.

These issues will be fixed by April 2024.

Disproportionate burden

We are not claiming disproportionate burden on this website.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. This section will outline recent improvements we have carried out.

Website readability

We use plain English to make the text easy to read. We aim to create content for a reading age of 11. In January 2023 we went through all the text content on this site. We aimed to improve the reading age. It was a reading age of 13.8,  but as of December 2023 it is now 12.5.

We used various tools to check our content and writing style. This includes the websites:


We will continue to check and improve the reading age. It is not always possible when using legal terms, official names or phrases. 

Hyperlinks

All hyperlinks on this site open in the same window, unless stated otherwise. We show most links on this website with underlined text.

In December 2023 we reviewed all hyperlinks. This included making sure:

  • Links were longer. This makes it easier for users to select them.
  • We named links appropriately. This informs users where the link will send them.
  • It was more clear when links were sending users to a different site.
  • Links with the same name, did not send users to different places.

We will continue to follow these rules when adding further hyperlinks.

Accessibility toolbar

In December 2023, we changed the way our menu and toolbar function. Improvements we made include:

  • The accessibility toolbar is now locked to the header. This prevents it from covering text when zoomed in at 400%.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared in January 2023, and it was last reviewed in December 2023. 

How we test this website

This website was last tested in December 2023. We use an automated accessibility audit tool, called Silktide. Silktide checks the accessibility of our website. We routinely carry out manual checks on a proportion of our pages to identify any issues. The i-go website is tested biweekly. 

You can visit the Silktide website to learn more about how it works.

Language

We use plain English to make the text easy to read. We aim to create content for a reading age of 11. We regularly run readability audits on our content and make continual improvements. As of December 2023, our content meets AA accessibility standards and scores 97.9% on our automated testing software.

Sign language readers can visit the East Sussex County Council website for a British Sign Language (BSL) introduction:

If you would like to read this website in another language, use Google Translate.

Images

Images have text descriptions known as their 'alt' tag. These text descriptions explain what you should see if the image doesn't appear on the screen. Ideally the descriptions should be short and avoid abbreviations and confusing language.

Images can’t be added without alt text. We review the alt text added to existing images annually to ensure they are suitable. Some images may contain text, and people with dyslexia may not be able to read the information. (WCAG success criterion 1.4.5 (Images of Text)).
This will be reviewed again July 2024.