Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to:

  • hfals.ac.uk
  • lbhfadmin.com
  • ebsontrackprospect-hf.tribal-ebs.com

This website is run by Hammersmith & Fulham Adult Learning and Skills Service. 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 using browser or device settings
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard or 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. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email us at alssinfo@lbhf.gov.uk 

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

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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Hammersmith & Fulham Adult Learning and Skills Service 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

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 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

hfals.ac.uk

Some images on the website and in PDFs are missing text alternatives. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).

Promotional video content does not have appropriate non-visual alternatives. This fails WCAG 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) (A) and 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) (AA).

PDFs on this website do not have any tags meaning they cannot be understood by assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and relationships (A).

There are some issues with form field and filter labels on the course search and the waiting list form which causes them to either not be read out or read out incorrectly. This issue fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

There are several colour contrast issues across the site with text, PDFs and some controls. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (AA).

Pages do not respond to user-side text size adjustments such as through browser or OS text size settings. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize text (AA).

The feedback button that appears across the website is an image of text. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.4.5 (Images of text). When the screen is at 300%, the button is replaced with icons in the footer allowing users to rate their online experience and give feedback.

The skills pathway flow diagram has a link underneath for a text only alternative for the complex diagram. Unfortunately, the link does not work, so the alternative is not available. This fails WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text (AA).

At higher magnification and on mobile screens with a viewport of 320 x 256:

  • the course search function at the top of the screen cannot be used
  • the sticky header covers almost all the screen, meaning the user cannot see any of the content below this
  • some content creates horizontal scrolling or clipping which can affect some users and block content. This is particularly prevalent on course search and listing pages

This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA).

The navigation menu does not respond well to user-side text spacing adjustments. This fails WCAG 1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA).

Keyboard only users cannot access all items in the carousel as focus is not given to the carousel controls over the image. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A). The controls can be accessed by screen readers, however they do not have accessible text names. They are announced only as “button”. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

PDFs on this website are missing document and page titles. This fails WCAG 2.4.2 Page titled (A).

Across the site there are several image and icon based links that do not have appropriate text alternatives including:

  • social media links
  • magnification links
  • images used in course listing results that link to course information pages

This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

Across the site there are several focus indication disruptions including navigating through the collapsed burger menu at higher magnifications, some carousel links, and an invisible link in the footer. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA).

At higher magnifications, the navigation structure is replaced with a burger menu. The user can move through this menu but can then navigate the obscured main content present behind the menu. This fails WCAG 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (AA).

lbhfadmin.com

Some questions in the foreign language assessments contain images which are vital to answering the questions but do not have appropriate alt text to support screen reader users. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).

Some links in the book an interview process use colour alone to differentiate themselves from surrounding text. This fails WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color (A).

Content across pages has colour contrast issues. This includes buttons, headings and other text. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (AA).

The form elements in this journey do not respond well to user side text size adjustments such as through browser or OS text size settings. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize text (AA).

Pages in the foreign language assessments do not always support reflow at higher magnifications which may disrupt some users. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA).

The automatic timer on foreign language assessments announces every second change to screen reader users which completely disrupts the experience and makes the pages unusable. This fails WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (A).

Some links use full URLs rather than descriptive link text. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A).

There is no language set across pages. This fails WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page (A).

Where pages have English instructions and text in other languages on the same page, these are not separately marked to ensure correct readability of parts in different languages. This fails WCAG 3.1.2 Language of Parts (AA).

Form elements used in the foreign language assessments do not have accessible text labels and are not associated to the question text that they are the answers for. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

ebsontrackprospect-hf.tribal-ebs.com

There are some role conflict issues with decorative images and some dropdown fields on the platform. These should not significantly impact user experience. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A).

Colour alone is used to denote the focus indication of some links and form fields. This fails WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color (A).

There are various text contrast issues across the platform including on links, buttons, focussed states and text content. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (AA).

This platform uses WorldPay to accept enrolment payments. Worldpay introduces horizontal scrolling at higher magnifications. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA).

There are colour contrast issues with navigation and user menu icons across the platform. This fails WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (AA).

This platform uses WorldPay to accept enrolment payments. WorldPay does not respond to text spacing adjustments. This fails WCAG 1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA).

Some links do not have appropriate link text, are not marked up as links or otherwise are duplicated. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A).

There are a number of invisible elements across pages which disrupt user focus indication. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA).

At higher magnifications the navigation menu is replaced with an expandable menu. When expanded the user can navigate through the menu items but can then move back into the main page content and navigate through elements which are visually obscured by the still expanded menu. This fails WCAG 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (AA).

Errors are not always identified at appropriate times across forms and may be validated on later step of the enrolment journey, or validate before users have entered any information which may cause confusion. This fails WCAG 3.3.1 Error Identification (A).

There is significant misuse of tabindex="0" across the platform which means many elements are included in the tab order for keyboard users unnecessarily. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

There is no audible or visible indication to let users know that details have been saved successfully or what step of the enrolment journey they are currently on. This fails WCAG 4.1.3 Status Messages (AA). 

Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

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

Not applicable.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We recently carried out an audit of our platforms (in June 2024) and are working with our suppliers to address the issues found.

We aim to reduce the amount of information we publish in PDFs and where we use a PDF, ensure it is accessible or the information within it is available in alternative formats.

We are working with Digital Services in Hammersmith & Fulham Council to provide accessibility training for staff who manage and edit content on the website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 16 June 2020. It was last reviewed on 11 June 2024.

This website was last tested on 3 June 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by All Able Ltd.

A representative sample of pages of the website were tested. Testing was composed of a mixture of manual, semi-automated and assistive technology testing.