Accessibility statement for Nottingham Research Repository

This accessibility statement applies to nottingham-repository.worktribe.com, which hosts University of Nottingham UK’s repository of research publications using repository software created by the company Worktribe.

This website is run by University of Nottingham Libraries in partnership with our supplier Worktribe

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: 

• Our repository contents are not all accessible. If you find an item you wish to access in an accessible format please email library-helpline@nottingham.ac.uk, requesting an accessible version and describing the resource you wish to access e.g. by providing a link to the relevant repository page. We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.
• You may find it particularly difficult to use search boxes and the ‘Research Areas’, ‘Research Groups’ and ‘Browse’ dropdown menus located at the start of the page when using a keyboard or assistive technology. If these issues prevent you from locating the information you need, please contact us for assistance.
• You may encounter some specific issues in navigating the site or interpreting site content when using a keyboard or assistive technology.
• You may find it difficult to see some parts of the page if visually impaired due to low contrast text. You may wish to use a browser plug-in or other assistive technology to enhance contrast.

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 library-helpline@nottingham.ac.uk

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

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 University of Nottingham Libraries via library-helpline@nottingham.ac.uk. 

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 

Find out how to contact us www.nottingham.ac.uk/Library/help

Technical information about this website’s accessibility 

University of Nottingham 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 2.1 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

Search boxes

You may find it difficult to identify search boxes and use search when using assistive technology due to a lack of description. We are reporting these issues to Worktribe and will work with them to address. 

• The search boxes on most pages are missing form labels and there is no accessible description of the expected input in the search box. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 (labels or instructions).
• When the ‘Advanced search’ box is open on the screen you can tab to access content outside of the box.
• The search button and images such as file folders are coded as decorative rather than meaningful. Text input fields are missing labels. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (heading and labels).

Navigation and accessing information

You may have challenges in interpreting the site of navigating through it using a keyboard or assistive technology due to missing information. We are reporting these issues to Worktribe and will work with them to address. 

• There are issues with the structure across all pages including a missing main content landmark impacting the ‘skip to content’ link, code marked as lists containing inappropriate items, inappropriate use of formatting tags, incorrectly applied Heading tags. Text input fields are also missing labels. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
• There is low contrast on menu headings such as levels, type, year and author. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (contrast).
• ‘Skip to main content’ moves you down to the content, but the next tab press puts you back at the top of the page on the menu bar. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (bypass blocks).
• On the ‘Organisations’ page screen readers lose focus in the list and read out invisible tabs. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (keyboard).
• Accessible names are not descriptive enough, often using numbers with no context. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (link purpose).
• The home page and ‘Browse... By year’ pages are missing form labels on inputs and the latter has no headings coded despite having text which looks like headings. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (heading and labels).
• There is improper nesting on page elements when browsing within a ‘Research Area’. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (parsing).
• Native widgets do not have appropriate ARIA roles. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role, value).

Dropdown menus at the top of the screen

You may find it difficult to use the dropdown menus at the start of each page. We are reporting these issues to Worktribe and will work with them to address. 

• On pages with a dropdown menu at the start of the page it is not possible to dismiss the overlay content with the escape key. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.13 (content on hover or focus).
• On pages with a dropdown menu at the start of the page the menu cannot be navigated with the arrow keys, only by using tab to the next option or next menu. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (keyboard) and criterion 2.4.3 (focus order).
• On pages with a dropdown menu at the start of the page the menus do not allow forward tab navigation and remain open on screen after tabbing through all menu item options. There is no way of knowing that menus are open in a screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.12 (no keyboard trap) and criterion 2.4.3 (focus order).

Disproportionate burden 

PDFs and the contents of other in-scope active collections 

The PDFs and the contents of other in-scope active collections in ePrints have not historically been created with accessibility in mind and some collections are out of scope, as described below.  

We have assessed the overall workload which would be needed to convert all PDFs and the contents of other in-scope active collections (such as research data) hosted in our portfolio of repositories which includes the Nottingham Research Repository, Nottingham ePrints and Dspace. We considered both retroactively converting legacy repository contents and converting new deposits to an accessible form on receipt within UoN Libraries to be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.  

What we’re doing to improve accessibility 

We are actively reviewing content and have introduced new working practices with a focus on user needs and providing inclusive content to our diverse audiences. 

We are improving our communications and advocacy with the communities who deposit contents in our repositories to improve the accessibility of deposited items going forward.  

We encourage requests for accessible versions of repository contents.  

We are engaging with Worktribe to highlight and develop accessibility requirements. We will continue to highlight the importance of accessibility for the repository in the context of the institution’s ongoing subscription with Worktribe.

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 22 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 22 September 2020. 

This website was last tested in September 2020. The test was carried out by University Nottingham Libraries. 

We used this approach to deciding on a sample of pages: testing by stratified sampling.

We sampled example pages within the page types the Nottingham Research Repository generates: the home page, different browse types and individual search result pages.