Accessibility Statement for Towards Dolly

This accessibility statement applies to:

https://collections.ed.ac.uk/towardsdolly/

This website is run by the Library and University Collections Directorate, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:

• Use browser settings to change colours, contrast levels and fonts
• Magnify text to 400%
• Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
• Navigate most of the site using voice recognition software (e.g. Dragon NaturallySpeaking)
• Experience no time limits when using the website
• Use the site without encountering any scrolling, flashing or moving text

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand. However, some of our content is technical, and we use technical terms where there is no easier wording we could use without changing what the text means.

Customising the website

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:

AbilityNet - My Computer My Way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:

Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:

Information on SensusAccess

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

• Search bar lacks a label
• Some text is presented as an image
• Some links lack underlines for easy visual identification
• Most images do not have any alternative text
• Videos on the page lacks transcripts, captions or audio descriptions
• Links in the main body lack hypertext about where it leads
• Users are not alerted when some hyperlinks open new tab / window
• Reflow is not operational, requiring horizontal scrolling after 200% magnification
• Keyboard navigation order in the navigation bar at the top of the page is in reverse
• Lack of a “skip to main content” button makes navigation using screen readers or dictation software difficult
• Video playback controls can result in being unable to scroll using the keyboard 

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format, including accessible PDF, large print, audio recording or braille:

• Email:  Information.systems@ed.ac.uk
• Telephone: +44 (0)131 651 5151
• British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the on-line BSL interpreting service.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

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 contact:

• Email:  Information.systems@ed.ac.uk
• Telephone: +44 (0)131 651 5151
• British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the on-line BSL interpreting service.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly:

Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:

Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website

Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language

British Sign Language service

Contact Scotland BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates from 8.00am to 12.00am, 7 days a week.

Contact Scotland BSL service details.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites and applications 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 (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The full guidelines are available at:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard

Non accessible content

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

Noncompliance with the accessibility regulationsThe following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:

• Not all non-text items have sufficient alternative text

1.1.1 – Non‑text Content

• Video content lacks accurate captions

1.2.2 – Captions (Prerecorded)

• Video content lacks audio descriptions

1.2.3 – Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)

• Navigation order at the top of the page is not necessarily logical

1.3.2 – Meaningful Sequence

• Some links are conveyed by colour alone

1.4.1 – Use of Color

• There are instances of text as image

1.4.5 – Images of Text

• Content cannot be presented without loss of information or functionality, and requires scrolling in two dimensions

1.4.10 – Reflow

• Website lacks a “skip to main content” option

2.4.1 – Bypass Blocks

• Some links lack meaningful hypertext regarding target location

2.4.4 – Link Purpose (In Context)

• Some hyperlinks do not alert the user before opening in a new tab / window

3.2.2 - On Input

• Input errors in the search bar lead to error messages through page redirects

3.3.1 – Error Identification

• Content is not robust enough that it can be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies e.g., some form elements lack labels 

4.1.2 - Name, Role, Value

• Content cannot be presented without loss of information or functionality, and requires scrolling in two dimensions

We are working towards solving these problems and expect significant improvements by January 2026. The site is fully within our control.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix.

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

At this time we believe no content is outwith the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to address and make significant improvements to the accessibility issues highlighted. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place by January 2026. 

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20^th September 2021. It was last reviewed on 28^th January 2025.

The website was last tested on 2nd December 2024. The testing was carried out by Library and University Collections, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh using both automated and manual methods. The site was tested on a PC, primarily using Microsoft Edge alongside Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

Recent world-wide usage levels survey for different screen readers and browsers shows that Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge are increasing in popularity and Google Chrome is now the favoured browser for screen readers:

WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey

The aforementioned three browsers have been used in certain questions for reasons of breadth and variety.

We ran automated testing using AXE Devtools and then manual testing that included:

• Spell check functionality;
• Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
• Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc);
• Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
• Warning of links opening in new tab or window;
• Information conveyed in the colour or sound only;
• Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
• Use with screen reading software (for example JAWS);
• Assistive software (TextHelp Read and Write, Windows Magnifier, ZoomText, Dragon Naturally Speaking, TalkBack and VoiceOver);
• Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
• Time limits;
• Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS);
• Any drag functionality and alternatives;
• Consistent help function;
• Submission and re-entry of data;
• Any cognitive tests.

Change Log

Since our initial report, we have undertaken more extensive manual testing with assistive software to get a better understanding of the accessibility issues on this website. This section will receive updates as and when accessibility improvements are made to the website.