Website accessibility

Accessibility statement for CARE-MND website

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

This accessibility statement applies to www.care-mnd.org.uk

This website is run by the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND research which is part of the University of Edinburgh. 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.

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:

  • it can be difficult to tell where you have navigated to by keyboard only
  • not all content is accessible by keyboard only
  • some non-text content does not have text alternatives e.g. PDFs
  • not all images have alternative text
  • there is scrolling content that cannot be paused, stopped or hidden
  • there is not a mechanism available to bypass blocks of content that are repeated on multiple web pages
  • not all link text is clear on where the link takes the user
  • there is only one way available to locate certain web pages.

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: emc_admin@ed.ac.uk
  • call: Sorry, we are unable to accept telephone calls as we are working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • write to:
    • CARE-MND
    • Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research
    • University of Edinburgh
    • FU303F, Chancellor’s Building
    • 49 Little France Crescent
    • Edinburgh, EH16 4SB

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 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 us on:

  • email: emc_admin@ed.ac.uk
  • call: Sorry ,we are unable to accept telephone calls as we are working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • write to:
    • CARE-MND
    • Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research
    • University of Edinburgh
    • FU303F, Chancellor’s Building
    • 49 Little France Crescent
    • Edinburgh, EH16 4SB

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 Service

British Sign Language service

contactSCOTLAND-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 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

contactSCOTLAND-BSL service details.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Edinburgh 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.

The full guidelines are available at:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:

  • Not all non-text content has text alternatives
    • 1.1.1 – Non Text Content.
  • Some content cannot be presented without loss of information if the line height, paragraph spacing, letter spacing or word spacing is increased.
    • 1.4.12 – Text Spacing
  • Visual information to identify user interface components, such as keyboard focus, do not always have a sufficient contrast ratio.
    • 1.4.11 – Non-text contrast
  • There is content that has moving, blinking or scrolling information that starts automatically, and is presented in parallel with other content, and does not have a mechanism for the user to pause, stop or hide it
    • 2.2- Pause, Stop and Hide
  • The purpose of each link cannot always be determined from the link text alone
    • 2.4.4 Link Purpose (in context)
  • There is only one way available to locate certain web pages
    • 2.4.5 Multiple Ways

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

We are not currently claiming that there is any content outwith the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to address the accessibility issues highlighted, either through delivery of a solution or suitable workaround.

Whilst we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, 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. Whilst we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, 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.

Accessibility improvements

March 2023
  • Many low contrast errors rectified
  • “Skip to main content” button added on all pages
  • Empty button error fixed
  • Empty link error fixed
  • Keyboard focus improvements

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 7 September 2020. It was last reviewed and updated on 17 March 2023.

This website was tested by the Interactive Content service within the Information Services Group during January and February 2023, using the Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.

We are in the process of securing access to two additional browsers (Interner Explorer and Microsoft Edge) and an Android mobile device. When obtained we will review the site once again.

How we tested this website

Our primary web accessibility evaluation tools were:

  • WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) from WebAIM
  • Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) from the Paciello Group.

The sample pages tested cover all published content types and design templates. We tested:

We tested:

  • Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour et. cetera);
  • Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
  • Warning of links opening in a new tab or window;
  • Information conveyed in colour or sound only;
  • Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
  • Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (iOS).