Accessibility
This statement applies to content published on www.brunel.ac.uk, https://staff.brunel.ac.uk and https://students.brunel.ac.uk, run by Brunel University London. It does not apply to content on other brunel.ac.uk subdomains. Where a website or web application has additional accessibility statements, these will be linked from those individual locations.
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 aren’t fully accessible:
- Some pages may have poor colour contrast
- Some heading elements may not be consistent
- Some tables may not have row headers
- Some images do not have good alternative text
- Some PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- Some older videos don’t have captions
- Some tables may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
- Live video streams don't have captions.
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, please email support@brunelweb.zendesk.com. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email support@brunelweb.zendesk.com.
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
Fixed and portable induction loops are available in many of our lecture halls and at many reception areas in the University. Body worn portable induction loops are available from Student Wellbeing (email wellbeing@brunel.ac.uk or telephone 01895267045), for use by Brunel students. For all general enquiries you can contact us by phone on the following number: +44 (0)1895 274000.
Technical information about this website
Brunel University London 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 (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The following items are currently not compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.
PDFs and other documents
Many of our PDFs and other documents don’t meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be accessible to screen reader software.
Some of our PDFs and other attached documents are essential to providing our services. We will review and replace PDFs and documents with HTML page where possible.
Images, video and audio
Images on some pages don’t have meaningful alternative text. We plan to add meaningful alt text to all images.
Most of the videos on the University website are hosted on YouTube; some of these may be incorrectly captioned and may not include audio description. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterions 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded) and 1.2.5 Audio Description (Pre-recorded).
We do not plan to add captions or transcripts to all pre-recorded audio and video media as this is exempt if published before 23 September 2020, but we will add these to selected media when possible. Any media published after this date will include captions.
Links without meaningful text
Some link text doesn’t make sense when read on its own (for example, ‘click here’), and there are instances where text is difficult to read (Success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose - In Context).
We will correct link text over time as we review each page. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure link text meets accessibility standards and follows plain English guidelines.
Forms and interactive elements
There are forms and interactive elements such as carousels and virtual tours which do not meet multiple AA success criteria. Some of these may be provided by third-parties. We aim to improve forms and interactive elements as we review each page.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other attached documents
The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020
We do not plan to add captions or transcripts to all pre-recorded audio and video media as this is exempt if published before 23 September 2020.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Maps
Online maps are included in a number of web pages. Where there is a map with one single point of interest, the information being displayed is provided in an alternative format on the same web page. Where there is more than one point of interest on the map, we are working towards an accessible solution.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
We recognise that there is content published on the www.brunel.ac.uk, https://staff.brunel.ac.uk and https://students.brunel.ac.uk domains that is not fully accessible, but the University is committed to improving this:
- We have procured Silktide’s scanner to help our content owners identify web content accessibility issues and advise on remedial actions for content accessibility optimisation
- Accessibility is a requirement for all third-party services that are purchased for inclusion on www.brunel.ac.uk, https://staff.brunel.ac.uk and https://students.brunel.ac.uk domains
- Accessibility training courses are available on Silktide's platform to anyone publishing content on the www.brunel.ac.uk, https://staff.brunel.ac.uk and and https://students.brunel.ac.uk domains.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 23 September 2019. It was last updated on 02 October 2024.