Accessibility statement

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wp-settings-{time}-[UID]	The number on the end [UID] is your individual user ID from the users database.	1 year

Using this website

The Lay Observers are responsible for the content of this website. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the technical aspects.

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 the website using just a keyboard

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

What to do if you can’t access part of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format, you can contact us:

Lay Observer Secretariat
3rd Floor, Post Point 2
10 South Colonnade
Canary Wharf
London
E14 4PU

Email: layobservers@justice.gov.uk

Reporting accessibility problems

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 the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact wordpress@digital.justice.gov.uk giving details of the issue and any assistive technology you are using.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing 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

The Ministry of Justice is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliance issues listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

The search box is missing a label and has no action button. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 A (Non-text Content).
The navigation menu does not expand properly when viewing the site on small screen sizes or at high levels of magnification. This fails WCAG 1.3.4 AA (Orientation).
There are no skip links on any page. This fails WCAG A 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks).
Some text does not respond properly when changing the font size using a browser. This fails WCAG AA 1.4.4 (Resize text).
Some headings do not follow the correct hierarchy. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 A (Info and Relationships).
Some links in the news area do not include a meaningful description of their destination. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 A (Link Purpose).
The members’ area icons do not have alternative text to indicate the link destination to screen readers. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 A (Non-text Content).
There is no error message when entering an incorrect password to access the members’ area. This fails WCAG 3.3.1 A (Error Identification).
Some PDF documents published after 23 September 2018 may not be accessible. Headings, list items and paragraphs may not be recognised by a screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).

Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

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

PDFs and other documents

We know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible.

Many documents are not accessible in a number of ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

Social sharing plugin

This site uses a third-party application to provide options for sharing pages on social media. This application is not accessible in a number of ways, including poor colour contrast and missing text alternatives.

How we tested this website

We have completed accessibility checks using keyboard testing and the WAVE automated testing tool. The tests on the website were carried out by the Ministry of Justice.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will monitor the accessibility of this website on an on-going basis and fix any accessibility issues reported to us.

We will use findings from the accessibility review for the next major redevelopment of the website in 2021.

This statement was prepared on 7 July 2020.

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