Accessibility

Why did we include an accessibility toolbar? - To make it more accessible for our wider audience, for people with different languages who may have issues understanding English and for people with disabilities such as visual impairment.

Who does it benefit?

It benefits 1/5 people who have a disability, including dyslexia and visual impairment. It also benefits 1/10 people who don't speak English as their first language.

Did you know we now have an accessibility toolbar on our website? All you have to do is click the “accessibility” button above the member sign in button in the top right hand corner of our website.

Here are some things you can do with the new accessibility toolbar on our website:

• Change font size
• Change colours
• Speech to text
• Follow text with a line guide

What languages does the ReciteMe accessibility toolbar offer?

The ReciteMe toolbar offers 104 languages to access the website with, that's right! 104!.

What are the other features?

It also has other features such as text only mode so if people are visually impaired they can read the website with text only. It also has the option to download an audio file of the website. Making it easier for people who are not able to see to access the website.  There's also the option to change the font on the website, so if certain fonts are not best practice for people with dyslexia then you can change it to a more suitable font, for example Arial. 

How do I access the ReciteMe toolbar?

To access the ReciteMe toolbar, simply click at the top right "Accessiblilty Tools" text and you will be directed to the accessibility toolbar. 

How does ReciteMe help me access the website?

ReciteMe helps you access the website if you require further assistance in using the website. It has support for people with disabilities such as visual impairment, by making the text larger. People with dyslexia, by making the font changed to a suitable font. People who require audio support, by having an option to download an audio file. There are many ways which the accessibility toolbar is benefiting students here at the Huddersfield Students' Union website. 

Accessibility statement for Huddersfield Students’ Union

This accessibility statement applies to www.huddersfieldsu.co.uk only.

This website is run by the University of Huddersfield Students’ Union. 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’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 are not fully accessible:

• Some images do not have any or sufficient alternative text in place • Users do not get a warning when they are timed out
• Some older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
• Some video content does not have captions 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:
• email students.union@hud.ac.uk • call 01484 473555

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 10 working days.

If you cannot view the map on our ‘contact us’ page, call or email us t for directions.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website We’re 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, email: Lydia Blundell, Head of Engagement l.blundell@hud.ac.uk

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 Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

We plan to add text alternatives for all images by September 2021. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value)

We plan to add labels for all forms by September 2021.

Content that’s 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. By September 2021, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix annual reports dated before September 2018.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

Live video

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website.

By August 29th 2020;

• complete full audit of main SU website, including compliancy rating By September 7th 2020;
• Board of Trustees to approve digital accessibility policy and timelines

By September 18th 2020;

• complete action plan for main SU website to meet full compliancy

By October 30th 2020;

• main SU website must include a compliant accessibility statement.

By January 30th 2021

• all other SU websites and systems must include a compliant accessibility statement
• third party websites must include a compliant accessibility statement.
• complete full audit of all other existing web sites, documents and digital content

By May 30th 2021

• all SU websites must be revised to be compliant in line with WCAG 2.01
• third party websites and their content must be compliant in line with WCAG 2.01 Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 02nd December 2022. It was last reviewed on 02nd December 2022. This website was last tested on 02nd December 2022. The test was carried out by Huddersfield Students' Union. You can read the full accessibility test report here

Accessibility Report Audit Accessibility Policy

To conclude, the ReciteMe toolbar has added a whole new level of accessibility to students accessing the website. For more information and support, click the link below. 

Link to support from ReciteMe