This statement does not cover the University of Sunderland’s main website www.sunderland.ac.uk. Please refer to the accessibility statement for www.sunderland.ac.uk if your query concerns that site.
The University’s web estate consists of many related sub-sites with the sunderland.ac.uk domain. Accessibility statements for such sub-sites will be found locally on each site.
Access https://libraryguides.sunderland.ac.uk
This website is run by the University of Sunderland Library Services and is a web-based repository platform that we use to host the e-resources guide, practical guides, subject guides, and skills guides. We want as many people as possible to be able to use the site. For example, that means you should be able to:
- zoom in to at least 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- resize to a single column with no horizontal scrolling
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
- find content using multiple methods (e.g. navigation menu and search feature)
- you can 'skip to main content' by using tab on your keyboard
We have also tried to make the website text as simple to understand as possible.
You can find useful advice on making your device easier to use by visiting AbilityNet, which provides step-by-step guides to making individual adjustments to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
How accessible is this website
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- a limited number of documents are in PDF format
- some image galleries and carousels can’t be operated using a keyboard alone
- there may be links to external media which do not have captions
- some links don’t have discernible text (icons)
- a small number of interactive items may not be accessible using keyboard navigation
- in a small number of instances text may have insufficient contrast against the background colour
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:
Web: IT Portal
Email: library@sunderland.ac.uk
Call: +44 191 515 3691
We will consider your request and get back to you in five working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We are 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: library@sunderland.ac.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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
Find out how to contact us or visit the University of Sunderland Library.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The University of Sunderland 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 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
Navigation and accessing information
Issues with text
- Some pages have incorrect heading structures.
- Some links do not make sense when read out of context, using text such as ‘click here’.
- Some pages contain multiple links which use the same link text but point to different destinations.
- Some pages contain text which is not as simple as possible to understand.
Issues with images
- Some images which need a description do not have any alternative (alt) text.
- Some decorative images have alt text which should be blank.
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- Some information is only available in formats such as PDF or Microsoft Word.
- Not all PDFs have been designed for accessibility.
Issues with tables
- Some pages contain tables which do not have headers.
Issues with audio and video
- Some videos do not have captions.
- Some videos use automatically generated captions, which may be inaccurate.
Issues with keyboard navigation
- Image galleries and carousels may not be navigable with a keyboard.
- Some elements which reveal hidden content - such as tabbed content - may be difficult to use, particularly when used with a screen reader.
Issues with interactive tools
- Some of our pages contain content from systems provided by an external supplier. We are aware of accessibility issues with some of these tools. We will be reporting such issues to suppliers and working with them to improve the accessibility of their tools.
PDFs and other documents
- Not all our PDFs and Word documents meet accessibility standards. From July 2020 onwards we are running a series of workshops and campaigns to highlight this issue and train users in how to audit and then improve the accessibility of these documents.
• 1.1.1 - Non-text Content
• 1.3.2 - Meaningful Sequence
• 1.4.5 - Images of Text
• 2.4.5 - Multiple Ways
We aim to improve our websites accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we're doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our site accessibility.
Disproportionate burden
We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix.
Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some 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.
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. Regulations for PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018.
Third-party content
Our website contains third-party content. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content, but we make best endeavours to work with the third party to improve its accessibility. The problems that may occur include:
- Colour contrast issues
- Keyboard navigation not functional
- Videos closed captions missing
- Links to non-University of Sunderland websites
Third-party services which can be accessed through Library Guides are listed below with a link to accessibility information provided by the suppliers of each service where possible.
Springshare (Library Talk/LibCal/LibrayGuides)
Content types recommendations – H5P
Library Reading Lists (Leganto)
What we are doing to improve accessibility
- A regular monthly central website audit using an automated service, followed by manual prioritisation of issues with key user journeys
- We use a design framework which is stable and has been tested for accessibility issues. This cuts down but doesn't remove, the risk of web editors adding design elements that are not accessible
- A full University web estate audit to assess issues with site accessibility, security and data protection.
- Support, guidance and training processes in place for University staff to increase awareness of accessibility and what our responsibilities are.
- Accessibility improvements, bug fixes and development work to fix issues will be recorded to keep a record of work completed.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 6 October 2023.
This website was last tested in October 2023. The test was carried out by the University of Sunderland Web Team. This website is tested weekly using a quality assurance tool to identify accessibility issues.
We tested:
our main website platform, available at libraryguides.sunderland.ac.uk.
Our website is tested regularly, with a new scan scheduled every seven days using an automated accessibility tool provided by LittleForest. This tool tests all web pages and provides a report on accessibility issues. Manual checks are also performed on a sample of pages on libraryguides.sunderland.ac.uk.
Issues are prioritised according to the severity of the impact it may cause, the number of people that may be impacted and the time involved in resolving the issue.