Accessibility
Accessibility statement for LearningLegacy.HS2.org.uk
This accessibility statement applies to LearningLegacy.HS2.org.uk.
This website is run by High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. 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
● zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
● 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:
A small number of accessibility and usability issues were reported by both automated testing tools and the manual user testing team. Where validation errors identified by the automated tools did not directly impact on our testing team; it does not mean that they do not have the potential to impact on other users.
Access issues were reported by users who require audio feedback to navigate and interact with page content. For example, some page elements were not descriptive enough for users to determine their function or purpose. Additionally, some information was not conveyed to users of screen reading assistive technologies as it was added using CSS instead of HTML.
A focus indicator was found to be of a low contrast and likely to be difficult for people with low vision to distinguish.
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact our Helpdesk using the details below.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, contact our Helpdesk.
Email: [email protected]
Freephone: 08081 434 434
Minicom: 08081 456 472
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
HS2 Community Hub
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd
Two Snowhill
Snow Hill Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6GA
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in [21] days
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment:
Minicom: 08081 456 472
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
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
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd 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) 2.1 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 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
Non-text content was not appropriately marked up for users of screen reading assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content.
Links were reliant on content that was not programmatically associated for context. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
The focus indicator for breadcrumb links did not meet the required contrast ratio against background colours. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.
Fixes for the issues above were published on 13 March 2024.
Disproportionate burden
Offering alternatives to complex image diagrams in documents
Some of our resources contain complicated diagrams and images, where captions (and sometimes mathematical formulae) are embedded directly within the image and are therefore not accessible to screen readers (or other assistive technology). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content.
We’ve assessed the cost of providing equivalent non-image alternatives to these diagrams and images, and unfortunately, we believe that providing alternatives for all of them would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. This is because each individual diagram/image is likely to be relatively unique, and as such, there is no easy way for us to create a standardised process of completely converting these into an understandable non-image format.
However, we are working to improve the figure captions for each of these images, so that screen reader users will be better able to understand what information they are conveying. We are also working on updated guidance for authors, to try and mitigate this going forward.
Alternative audio for videos
Our videos do not contain an alternative, descriptive audio track. For example, an audio track describing what’s happening in the video rather than captions of the script. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Pre-recorded).
Our videos are hosted on YouTube which does not yet support more than one audio track.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader.
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word 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.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We test our website annually with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) to check for areas of improvement or non-compliance. They produce a detailed report for us.
Our website agency has a dedicated accessibility expert who then reviews this report and makes recommendations accordingly. Since receiving the report a number of improvements have been made to address the Level A and Level AA issues that were noted.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 30 September 2021. It was last reviewed on 13 March 2024.
This website was last tested on 22 December 2023. The test was carried out by Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC).