Accessibility Statement
Last updated on 22nd June 2022
Does the Bloomsbury Publishing Platform meet accessibility standards?
Bloomsbury Digital Resources is committed to ensuring equal access for all users of our resources, regardless of technology or ability. For all our resources, we aim for compliance with Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 (https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/). You can read more about our commitment to accessible digital resources, as well as the measures by which our sites have been tested to ensure compliance with WCAG standards, on our General BDR Accessibility Statement.
Our sites are all built using code compliant with W3C standards for HTML and CSS. The site displays correctly in current browsers and using standards-compliant HTML/CSS code means that any future browsers should also display it correctly. Where possible content is displayed as HTML full text which can easily be resized or read with assistive technology, with mark-up that allows screen readers and keyboard-only users to navigate easily and intuitively.
We're working hard to achieve our goal of Level AA accessibility, but our testing has identified a small number of areas that still need improving, and these are listed at the bottom of this page.
Can I resize the text to make it easier to read?
Yes, most text content is presented as HTML so it is resizable and reflowable. The site has been tested with 200% browser zoom to ensure that text still renders correctly and legibly, without losing any of the site's functionality or navigation.
Can I navigate the site using the keyboard only?
Bloomsbury Publishing Platform been tested thoroughly to assess how sight-impaired or mobility-impaired users would access the content, and most of the site's functionality is fully accessible via keyboard. The focus order moves correctly in most cases, and there are no 'keyboard traps' in the site. We are aware that the thumbnail tiles on pages such as the home page and Basics of Referencing page do not have visible focus indicators - a fix for this is currently being worked on and is due to be deployed soon. Additionally, not all pages have a "skip to main content" button which we are looking into fixing.
Does the site support screen readers?
Yes, Bloomsbury Publishing Platform has been manually tested throughout using JAWS 18, NVDA 2018, Apple VoiceOver and Android Talkback.
On main content pages, all content is correctly tagged to allow screen reader users to navigate the content and understand its structure. Screen reader users are able to follow text in the correct reading order throughout.
Does the video content include alternative text and descriptions?
Yes, all video files have correctly synchronised transcripts and closed captions.
Do the images include alt text and descriptions?
Yes, appropriate alternative text is given for images used on the site. Some images lack alt text, but these are purely decorative and the relevant information is also provided in text format.
Areas for further improvement:
- Some alternative text for image links is inappropriate or unnecessary (e.g. 'Login Icon', 'Header Logo').
Has the site been tested for color contrast and color-blindness?
To ensure accessibility for low-vision or colorblind users, we aim to ensure that the color contrast ratio for all interactive elements meets the WCAG standard minimum of 4.5:1.
How do I contact Bloomsbury to get further help with accessibility?
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require assistance, or have any queries or feedback relating to accessibility, via the email address bdraccessibility@bloomsbury.com. Alternatively, use the Contact Us form, and select 'Access or Technical Problem' from the Inquiry drop-down.
List of non-accessible content
The list below identifies parts of the website that are known to not meet accessibility standards, and the corresponding WCAG2.1 criteria that is being checked against.
- The tiles on the home page, and on some other pages such as the Basics of Referencing, don't have visible focus indicators. This fails WCAG2.1 criterion 2.4.7.
- We are aware that the labelling of some of the forms such as "Sign in to Your Personal/Admin Account", "Change Password" and "Sign Up Via FaceBook" is not done in a way that meets accessibility standards. Specifically, this fails WCAG2.1 criterion 3.3.2.
- In the footer, the horizontal 3 dot menu icon (visible when using a mobile device) lacks alt text. This fails WCAG2.1 1.1.1
- On all pages, there are instances of aria-labelledby where the labelledby element referenced, doesn't exist. This fails WCAG2.1 1.3.1 and 4.1.2.
- On all pages, there are instances of items with an attribute of role="menu" but the child items are missing the required role="menuitem" attribute. This fails WCAG2 4.1.2.
- Not all pages have a "Skip to main content" button. This fails WCAG2 2.4.1.
- On our contact forms, required fields are indicated with a red asterisk, but the colour of this asterisk does not have sufficient colour contrast. This fails WCAG2.1 1.4.3.
- Video pages have an "Export RIS" button on them that is empty. This fails WCAG2.1 2.4.6.
- The "Share this" modal pop-up contains an empty heading element. This fails WCAG2.1 2.4.6.
- On the Tutorial website, the "Referencing Styles" item in the main navigation bar cannot be opened with the keyboard. Additionally, when tabbing through the drop down menus on the search page, focus skips to every other item. Both of these issues fail WCAG2.1 2.1.1.
We are currently working closely with our developers to resolve all the issues above where feasible, and will update this statement with the latest updates as and when fixes have been made in the coming weeks/months.
