Accessibility statement for Norfolk Museums
This accessibility statement applies to www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk.
This website is run by Norfolk County Council.
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
- Navigate the website using just a keyboard
- Navigate 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)
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We aim to meet the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at AA level.
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- Some Word documents and PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
- Some images do not have good alternative text, which means the information they show is not available to all users
- Some videos do not have audio description, which means the information they show is not available to all users
- Some headings are not correctly tagged, which means screen reader software might read the information in the wrong order
- The focus indicator on some elements has poor colour contrast. This means it can be difficult for users navigating the website using a keyboard to see where they are on the page.
- Not all pages have unique, descriptive page titles. This means it can be difficult for users with visual disabilities to identify content when they have multiple web pages open.
- The focus order for the navigation menu and search bar is not correct. This can make it difficult to navigate the website using a keyboard.
- Some links don’t have unique, descriptive link text. This means it can be difficult for users to understand the link’s purpose and where it will take them.
- Some pages contain hidden links with no link text. This can make it difficult to navigate the website using a keyboard or screen reader.
- The “Skip to content” link doesn’t work on some pages. This can make it difficult to navigate the website using a keyboard or screen reader.
- Users cannot access all parts of the collections search filter menus using keyboard navigation
- The date picker might be hard for people using screen readers and magnifiers to use
- Some content uses asterisks to signpost the reader to footnotes with further information
What to do if you cannot access parts of this website
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or braille, email webaccessibility@norfolk.gov.uk.
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 3 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 webaccessibility@norfolk.gov.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).
Contact us by phone or visiting us in person
Our museums have audio induction loops at all ticket/reception desks.
Find out how to contact us.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Norfolk County Council 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 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons. Each item is listed with the relevant WCAG criterion that it fails on.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Images
Some images that are used purely for decoration are not marked as decorative. This means they will not be ignored by assistive technology.
Some images that help people to understand a web page don’t have descriptive alternative text. This means people using assistive technology cannot access the information these images contain.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content.
We are currently fixing this issue by working through the site and:
- Adding descriptive alternative text to informative or functional images
- Marking decorative images as decorative
Date of expected fix: July 2023.
Headings
Some headings are tagged with the wrong programmatic heading level. Because of this, the HTML structure of content on some pages does not match the visual structure of the content. This means screen readers might not read the content in the correct order.
This fails WCAG success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Focus indicator
The focus indicator used on some elements doesn’t have sufficient colour contrast. This means it can be difficult for people using a keyboard to navigate the website to see where they are on the page.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Page titles
Some pages don’t have unique page titles that accurately describe the content of the page. This means it can be difficult for users with visual disabilities to identify content when they have multiple web pages open.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 Page Titled.
Date of expected fix: July 2023.
Focus order
When using the website on a small or zoomed-in screen, a “Menu” button is used to access the main navigation menu. When you open the navigation menu, you have to tab three times to move keyboard focus to the first item in the menu.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 Focus Order.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Link text
Some links don’t have unique, descriptive link text. This means it can be difficult for users to understand the link’s purpose and where it will take them.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
Date of expected fix: July 2023
Invisible links
Some components contain broken links with no link text. These links are not visible but can be accessed when using a keyboard to navigate the website. Because the links are not visible, there is no visible indicator to show when these links are in keyboard focus.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Landmarks and bypass blocks
The collections object page template does not have a main landmark. Because of this:
- The primary content of the page doesn’t sit within a landmark at all,
- The skip to content bypass link doesn’t work on pages using this template
This fails:
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Embedded video
A “Virtual primary school events with Norwich Castle” video is embedded on the Learning at Norwich Castle page.
The video contains images of text but does not have an audio description of the text. This means people who can only hear the video cannot access all the information in the video. This fails:
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)
Date of expected fix: July 2023.
Collections search filters
There are three filter menus on the Museums collections search page:
- Department
- Displayed at
- Artist/Maker
These filters are non-accessible for the following reasons.
Keyboard navigation
Each filter menu includes a “Clear” button to deselect any options that have been selected. It’s not possible to access this button when using a keyboard to navigate the website.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Duplicate IDs
The Artist/Maker filter menu contains duplicate IDs because some artists are listed under multiple names in the collections database. IDs need to be unique for the HTML to be valid. If the HTML is not valid this can cause issues for some users of assistive technology.
This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria 4.1.1 Parsing.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Date picker
The date picker on the Museums events search page:
- Has active elements with the same ID. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 Parsing.
- Is not entirely visible and usable when the display resolution is at 1280 x 1024 and browser zoom is at 400%. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 Reflow.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
Use of footnotes
Content on the Norfolk Museums Pass page uses asterisks to signpost users to footnotes for more information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics.
Date of expected fix: July 2023.
Word documents
There are approximately 9 Word documents that do not meet accessibility standards. For example, several require user input (act as editable forms or templates) but have visible labels or instructions that aren’t programmatically associated with the form field, or do not have programmatically determinable form fields.
This fails:
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
We are reviewing these documents, removing them and replacing them with accessible PDFs or web content where needed.
Date of expected fix: September 2023.
PDF documents
Norfolk Museums Pass application form
There is a Norfolk Museums Pass application form PDF on the Norfolk Museums Pass page. The PDF does not meet accessibility standards because:
- It is an untagged PDF. This means it doesn’t contain tags to tell assistive technologies what content is in the document. It can be difficult for people using assistive technologies to navigate, find content, and determine where they are in this document. Screen readers might not read the content in the correct order.
- Some of the text in the document does not have sufficient colour contrast against the background colours used. This means it can be difficult for users with visual disabilities to read this text.
We aim to address these issues when we change content management system in 2024.
History of Norwich Castle
There is a History of Norwich Castle PDF on the History of Norwich Castle page. The PDF does not meet accessibility standards because:
- It is an untagged PDF. This means it doesn't contain tags to tell assistive technologies what content is in the document. It can be difficult for people using assistive technologies to navigate, find content, and determine where they are in this document. Screen readers might not read the content in the correct order.
- It doesn't have a descriptive document title. This means it can be difficult for users with visual disabilities to identify content when they have multiple documents open.
- It contains three separate documents which have been combined into a single PDF. This means it can be difficult for users to navigate, find content, and determine where they are within the document.
Date of expected fix: July 2023.
Disproportionate burden
We are not claiming disproportionate burden on any part of our site.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Older videos
Some of our older videos may not have captions and/or audio description. This fails:
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)
- WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)
We do not plan to make these older videos accessible because videos published before 23 September 2020 are exempt from the meeting the accessibility regulations.
Maps
Our maps are not accessible to screen reader users. We have ensured that essential navigational information included in maps, such as addresses or directions, are available in an accessible format.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 22 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 20 April 2023.
This website was last tested in February 2023. Norfolk County Council’s Digital Team carried out the test.
We tested the website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk using automated and manual tests. We used:
- Accessibility Insights for Web browser extension
- Web Developer browser extension
- Nu HTML Checker
- WebAim.org contrast checker
We used a sample-based approach to auditing, based on the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM).