Accessibility Statement for DiscoverEd

Website accessibility statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

This accessibility statement applies to:

https://discovered.ed.ac.uk/ 

This application is a third party project produced by Ex-Libris which is customised and used by 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:

  • Change colours, contrast levels and fonts 
  • 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:

  • There are some colour contrast issues
  • There are some error messages in the form of popups that do not alert the user of the location of the error
  • Users are not always alerted to suggestions for error/data validation e.g. email fields 
  • There is a cognitive function test when logging in requires user to remember the password
  • It is not possible to magnify all content beyond 150% without content overlapping
  • Reflow is not operational to 400% because of overlapping content 
  • There are examples of text as images
  • Some images do not have alternative text
  • Some new tab/windows and pop ups open without alerting the user
  • Not all hyperlinks are formatted correctly with meaningful hypertext
  • There is some information conveyed by colour only
  • Headings are not properly used, with some levels being skipped
  • Some selection displays have insufficient contrast
  • Not all content can be reached by keyboard
  • Keyboard tabbing does not always follow a logical sequence
  • Screen readers are not fully compatible with the site
  • Voice recognition software is not fully compatible with the site
  • Help such as contact us and chat function are not in the same place on very page
  • Tooltips cannot be reached by keyboard or assistive software 

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:

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 regulations.

The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:

Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution, or significant improvement, will be in place for those items within our control by August 2025. However, most of the issues are not within our control and instead sit with the supplier, ExLibris.

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

The application provides links to many portable document format (PDF) files that may not meet accessibility standards However, these are out with our control and under the control of various third parties. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of, the University:

Regulations for third part content

Otherwise, at this time, we do not believe that any content is outside 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 August 2025 for those items under our control. We will continue to liaise with Ex Libris regarding the accessibility issues out with our control.

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 accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20th September 2021. It was last reviewed on 09th September 2024.

The website was last tested in September 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
  • No need to re-enter data already submitted
  • Any cognitive tests 

Change Log

Since our initial testing we have undertaken more extensive manual testing with assistive software to get a better understanding of the accessibility issues on this website.

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