Accessibility policy

Oxford Brookes University is committed to making all digital content inclusive and accessible for everyone.

This policy sets out our approach for meeting our legal requirements under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the regulations) which builds on existing obligations to people who have a disability under the Equality Act 2010.

This policy defines the responsibilities and obligations for staff who create, publish and procure websites or content and the support available to them. It aims to ensure that as many people as possible are able to use this website including people with disabilities.

Any website or content that is funded, developed, or controlled by the University or displays University branding is in the scope of this policy. This includes staff and student educational and learning content, including virtual learning environments. 

This policy applies to:

• All new, updated and existing websites and content provided by or on behalf of the University.
• Anyone who creates content or documents on a website that will be published and made available to others on behalf of the University.
• Anyone who procures, manages or develops websites and content for the University.

Any website or content that is not funded, developed or controlled by the University is outside the scope of this policy.

Some types of digital content are not within the scope of the accessibility regulations.

For the purposes of this policy, “Accessibility Standards” is conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2, Level AA Conformance (WCAG 2.2 Level AA).

• The University is legally responsible for digital accessibility.
• The University will comply with the regulations and ensure changes to legislation are considered in a timely manner and review policy and controls accordingly.
• Websites or content will be developed and managed to comply with the regulations, addressing any technical limitations that become apparent.
  • The University requires that:
  • All existing and updated websites and content are required to meet accessibility standards.
  • All new websites or content, whether delivered by external providers or built in-house, must provide evidence of meeting accessibility standards from the outset.
  • Staff who create content must learn how to make content accessible and keep up to date with accessibility standards.
    • All staff who create content for teaching and learning will be required to take the Moodle Digital Accessibility course for content.
    • All staff who create content on the University website with Kentico CMS will be required to take the accessibility course for digital content and quiz.
    • We also recommend that users watch our best practice guides Writing Well for Digital and Using Hemingway for better readability.
  • This policy applies to all University produced documents including, but not limited to PDF and Word, that are uploaded and published on a website. They must meet accessibility standards or be removed from publication.
  • The content owner of every University website must publish accessibility information in the form of an up to date accessibility statement.
  • Staff who manage contracts and procure digital systems must ensure that contractors comply with their obligations under the current legislation, actively manage accessibility limitations until they are resolved and provide accessibility information in the form of an accessibility statement.
  • If something is not in an accessible format, and an alternative format is requested by a user, the University shall provide an accessible format to the user within 5 working days.
  • If a user reports an accessibility issue or thinks we are not meeting accessibility requirements, the University shall provide a reply to the user within 5 working days.
  • The web team reserves the right to update or remove content that does not meet accessibility standards.

View our advice and guidance on making your content accessible.

We also recommend that users watch our best practice guides Writing Well for Digital and Using Hemingway for better readability.

Users can also enrol on the Moodle Digital Accessibility Course.

• Moodle Digital Accessibility course
• Accessibility course and end of course quiz
• Writing Well for Digital
• Using Hemingway for better readability
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Guidance for staff
• Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018
• Equality Act 2010

To report any issues, request advice on website accessibility issues, or to request training please contact the Web team webdev@brookes.ac.uk.