Accessibility Statement

This is the accessibility statement for the Leeds Arts University Portal at portal.leeds-art.ac.uk and for the Leeds Arts University Student Union at welcome.luu.org.uk. We want as many people as possible to be able to use these websites and are planning work to improve the accessibility of our online content.

We are also making updates to our content to make the language on our website as clear as possible. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible the website is

We know that some parts of the website are not fully accessible. We have outlined these issues in more detail in the "non-compliant" section of this statement, but they include:

  • You can't use assistive technologies (such as screen readers or voice recognition software) on all pages
  • Some of our links are not labelled correctly 
  • Most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • Some of our pages and online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • You are not able to zoom in on some of our pages and maintain page functionality 
  • Our images do not always have alternative text
  • Some of our text, buttons and links have poor colour contrast

Feedback and contact information 

If you need information on this website in a different format like an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, you can get in touch using the contact information below.

Email: accessibility@leeds-art.ac.uk

Call: 0113 202 8000 and ask for the Compliance Officer. Please note that currently the University is operating on a reduced staff basis. In the case that the Compliance Officer is not available on the phone, please leave a message with the Reception team or send an email to the address above. 

We'll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days to discuss your needs. Please be aware that we outsource some of our accessibility resources (e.g. requests for items in braille), so some items may not be available immediately. 

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, contact the Compliance Officer at accessibility@leeds-art.ac.uk. Please include relevant information such as the URL of the page(s) on which you experienced the problem, a description of the issue, and your contact information. We will consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days. 

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). 

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Whilst we currently do not provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or who have a speech impediment, please contact us at accessibility@leeds-art.ac.uk and we can discuss with you the options available. 

We have audio induction loops available, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. Please be aware that we do not have an in-house interpreter, so this will be dependent on third-party availability. 

Technical information about this website's accessibility 

Leeds Arts 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 2.1AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below. 

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with accessibility regulations

Listed below are the parts of our website that are not compliant with the WCAG 2.1AA success criteria. We will correct these issues over time via centralised fixes wherever possible and through staff training and development.  

Some of our content does not have appropriate text alternative. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1AA Guideline 1.1 (Text Alternatives)
  • Some images do not have alternative text, which means the information is not available to those using a screen reader. This relates to WCAG 1.1.1 (non-text content)
  • Not all form fields have associated label values. This relates to WCAG 1.1.1 (form input lack text labels)
  • Not all form fields are tagged. This relates to WCAG 1.1.1 (form fields are not tagged)
  • Some non-decorative images are not marked as artefacts, which means the information is not available to those using a screen reader. This relates to WCAG 1.1.1 (non-text content)
Some of our content cannot be presented in different ways without losing information or structure. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1 AA Guideline 1.3 (Adaptable)
  • Some headings, lists and special text are not used appropriately. This relates to WCAG 1.3.1 (info and relationships)
  • Some regions are not coded appropriately with landmarks. This relates to WCAG 1.3.1 (info and relationships)
  • Some related links are not grouped using the nav element. This relates to WCAG 1.3.1 (info and relationships)
  • Some related form elements are not grouped by fieldset/legend. This relates to WCAG 1.3.1 (info and relationships)
  • Some form fields do not have the autocomplete attribute present. This relates to WCAG 1.3.5 (identify input purpose)
Some of our content is not easy to see or hear. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1AA Guideline 1.4 (Distinguishable)
  • We only use colour to distinguish some of our links and some of our links lack additional styling. This relates to WCAG 1.4.1 (use of colour)
  • In some instances, our text does not have sufficient contrast to its background. This relates to WCAG 1.4.3 (contrast - minimum)
  • In some instances, our buttons and links do not have sufficient contrast with their background. This relates to WCAG 1.4.11 (non-text contrast)
  • Some of our pages do not function properly when you zoom in to 200%. This relates to WCAG 1.4.4 (resize text)
  • Some of our pages do not function properly when you apply custom text styling. This relates to WCAG 1.4.12 (text spacing)
Some of our content is not keyboard accessible. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1AA Guideline 2.1 (Keyboard Accessible)
  • It is not possible to navigate all of our pages using only a keyboard. This relates to WCAG 2.1.1 (keyboard)
Some of our content is not easily navigable. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1 AA Guideline 2.4 (Navigable)
  • On some of our pages, frames cannot be bypassed to access primary content more directly. This relates to WCAG 2.4.1 (bypass blocks)
  • Not all of our PDF documents have a title. This relates to WCAG 2.4.2 (page titled)
  • Not all of our PDF documents have a logical tab order. This relates to WCAG 2.4.3 (focus order)
  • Some of our links use the same text when they direct to different locations. This relates to WCAG 2.4.4 (link purpose (in context))
  • Some of our links are not labelled correctly. This means that some link text may not make sense out of context or it is not always possible to know what the purpose of the link is. This relates to WCAG 2.4.4 (link purpose (in context))
  • Not all of our documents with 21 or more pages have bookmarks that parallel the document structure. This relates to WCAG 2.4.5 (multiple way)
Some of our content is not easy to read and understand. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1AA Guideline 3.1 (Readable)
  • The language of our website is not defined. This relates to WCAG 3.1.1 (language of page)
Some of our content does not help users avoid and correct mistakes. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1AA Guideline 3.3 (Input Assistance)
  • Not all mandatory fields in our forms show a text error if they have been left blank. This relates to WCAG 3.3.1 (error identification)
  • Not all of our forms give appropriate information where a field is mandatory or requires a specific format. This relates to WCAG 3.3.2 (labels or instructions)
Some of our content does not maximise compatibility with assistive technologies. This means that it does not comply with WCAG 2.1AA Guideline 4.1 (Compatible)
  • Some of our pages have not been coded correctly, which may mean that they are not compatible with some assistive technologies. This relates to WCAG 4.1.1 (parsing)
  • Some of our pages do not have appropriate mark-up, which may mean that they are not compatible with some assistive technologies. This relates to WCAG 4.1.2 (name, role, value)
  • Not all status messages can be read by assistive technologies. This applies to WCAG 4.1.3 (status messages)

Disproportionate burden

On some of our pages, two-dimensional scrolling is present when you zoom in to 400%. This is not compliant with WCAG 2.1AA success criterion 1.4.10 (reflow). 

We've assessed this issue within the context of the University's wider plans for its online content platforms. We believe that addressing this issue at this time would pose a disproportionate burden. 

Content that's not within the scope of accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some non-essential PDFs that were published before 23 September 2018 may not be fully accessible. 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. We are working towards ensuring that all essential PDF documents published before 23 September 2018, and all PDF documents published since this date, comply with accessibility regulations. 

Third Party Content

Our site uses third party content which may not be fully accessible. This may include links which navigate you away from our website, or content which we post on social media sites such as Twitter. Whilst we are working towards ensuring that the content we produce is accessible, we do not have control over the accessibility of these platforms. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 7 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 16 September 2020. 

This website was last tested in July 2020. The test was carried out by Zoonou Ltd.