The NIHR Research Support Service Hub is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the https://nihr-rss.york.ac.uk/ domain.

This website is run by the NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) Hub delivered by the University of York and Partners. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. On most pages on the website you should be able to:

  • Navigate using just the keyboard.
  • Navigate using speech recognition software.
  • Zoom in up to 500% without the text spilling off the screen.
  • Change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings.
  • Listen to content using a screen reader.
We've also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet’s My Computer My Way pages have advice on adjustments you can make to your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone to make it easier to use.

How accessible this website is

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

  • You cannot modify the line height or spacing of text.
  • The reCAPTCHA functionality does not have an accessible alternative.
  • The hamburger navigation menu that appears on certain screen sizes cannot be navigated using a keyboard alone.

Feedback and contact information

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, you can report an accessibility issue via the Contact Us page.

If you have any queries about the website or need information provided in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please email us at nihr-rss@york.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).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Issues with text
  • Some pages contain text which is not as simple as possible to understand. Some of our content is technical, and contains scientific terms and language. In some instances we have not been able to simplify the wording without changing the meaning of the text. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.5 (Reading Level).

Disproportionate burden

There is no way to add alternative text to the reCAPTCHA functionality, as this is dealt with by Google.

How we tested this website

We tested our website over several periods throughout 2023 and continue to monitor on an ongoing basis. We use a combination of methods to check our site:

  • Manual testing: we used an accessibility checklist to manually check a representative sample of pages from across our website. This included checking that our pages can be navigated using only a keyboard, and testing any colour contrasts that could not be automatically checked.
  • Automated testing: we used WAVE, which is a Google Chrome extension that scans our pages for accessibility errors, and lets us know which ones are the highest priority to fix.
  • User testing: we have set up a training version of the website for users to test and practice on prior to any changes going to the live website and have regular meetings with the team to discuss any issues or updates.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

  • We will be using WAVE more widely to identify and fix content issues which affect individual pages.
  • Our testing identified a range of issues with our templates that were affecting large numbers of pages across our website. Most of these issues have now been fixed.
  • We are ensuring that our development processes include accessibility considerations and testing as standard.
  • All staff have participated in accessibility training to be aware of what should be available as standard on websites.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 18th October 2023. It was last reviewed on 08 November 2023.