Accessibility Statement for the Universal Viewer - UniversalViewer/universalviewer GitHub Wiki
The Universal Viewer (UV) Steering Group is committed to making the UV accessible to people of all levels of ability. The following statement summarises where we currently are in relation to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, and outlines where we’d like to get to.
Using this web application
This web application is run by the Universal Viewer steering group. 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 web application is
We know some parts of this web application are not fully accessible:
- You cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
- You cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
- Some pages are not fully navigable using landmarks
- Some heading elements are not consistent
- Motion animations (sliding side panels) cannot be disabled
- Cultural heritage images of text do not have alternative text, or transcription. These are exempt under the legislation.
What to do if you can’t access parts of this web application
If you need information on this web application in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille please contact us at:
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.
If your request pertains to third-party content, please address your enquiries to the content owner. The name of the content owner is usually available via the Universal Viewer’s More Information panel.
For a more immediate response, please consider joining our Slack channel, where we have a dedicated channel for accessibility, at https://bit.ly/3kD5O0d
If you would like to report accessibility problems
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this web application. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at:
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 web application’s accessibility
The Universal Viewer Steering Group is committed to making this web application accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Non-accessible content
This web application is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below. We are planning a community-funded sprint to address these issues in the near future.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Issues with navigation and operability
Headings and labels are not always semantically correct (WCAG 1.3.1 1.3.6)
We intend to use appropriate headings and labels with associated roles where applicable.
Search results are not currently navigable via the tab key (WCAG 2.1.1 2.1.3 2.4.3)
We intend to use semantic HTML (buttons) for the search result placemarkers to make them more accessible.
Content cannot currently be bypassed using Aria Landmarks. Users are required to tab through page content. (WCAG 1.3.1 1.3.6 2.4.1)
We intend to implement ARIA landmarks for the main regions of the application to enable easier navigation using a screen reader.
Interactive side panels are used to display extra information. Currently their motion animations cannot be disabled. (WCAG 2.3.3)
We intend to add a configuration setting to allow these animations to be disabled.
Issues with content
Captioning for audio visual content is not currently supported (WCAG 1.2.2)
Where supplied by third parties, downloadable text alternatives can be accessed via the download menu.
Text spacing and line height override is currently not permitted. (WCAG 1.4.12)
We are working on a fix for this.
Audio and textual content alternatives are not easily accessible (WCAG 1.1.1 1.2.1 1.2.3 1.2.5 1.2.7 1.2.8)
The UV can supply any textual or audiovisual supporting content via its download menu, however, this is currently only accessible by tabbing through the entire interface. We intend to add a shortcut link for screen readers to access this alternative (third party) content more easily.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Third party content
Our application is designed to load third-party content. We are not responsible for the accessibility of third party content, or associated links to third party content, including but not limited to web pages, images, audiovisual content, 3D models, PDFs, and eBooks.
We cannot reasonably accept responsibility for ensuring third party content meets accessibility standards. However, where it is within our control, we will make every reasonable effort to work towards meeting accessibility requirements.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 21.09.2020. It was last reviewed on 21.09.2020.
The Universal Viewer is tested on a regular basis. Some key tools used to test the site are listed below. The latest test was organised and carried out by the Universal Viewer Steering group.
WAVE evaluator: identifies many accessibility and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) errors.
SiteImprove Accessibility checker – provides a quick overview of issues
aXe – provides an in-depth insight into issues
WCAG Color contrast checker - Chrome extension for checking colour contrast
What we’re doing to improve accessibility of the Universal Viewer
The Universal Viewer is an open source project with a growing community of contributors. There is a Steering Group community who meet on a monthly basis to discuss the project roadmap and assign funding to development.
Non-compliant accessibility issues which have been logged and are currently under review can be found at:
https://github.com/UniversalViewer/universalviewer/labels/accessibility