Accessibility Statement

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This accessibility statement applies to the Autism Hampshire website, https://autismhampshire.org.uk/. At Autism Hampshire, we are constantly looking at ways to make sure our website is accessible. We want as many people as possible to be able to use it.

The ReachDeck Toolbar

We’ve added ReachDeck (previously known as Browsealoud) digital inclusion software to our website. The toolbar offers an extensive range of support tools, which can be launched by clicking the ‘Speak’ link at the top of our webpages.

The ReachDeck toolbar helps to make our content more widely available by removing some of the barriers that could be faced by people accessing information while on the web.

Features include:

Text-to-Speech - reads on-screen text out loud with read-along highlighting
Translation - allows words to be translated into multiple languages
Picture Dictionary - displays word meaning through illustration
MP3 Maker - converts online content into MP3 files for easy listening
Screen Mask - with reading pane; reduces visual stress and improves focus
Text Magnifier - magnifies text and reads it out loud, increasing accessibility of even the smallest web text
Webpage Simplifier - creates a simplified view of a webpage and removes distracting content

Our website accessibility

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the non-accessible content section of this statement, below.

Non-accessible content

We are aware that some parts of this website are not fully accessible, and we are actively working to address these issues. The following are the key areas of non-compliance:

Navigation and Structure:

There is no option to skip repeated content, such as a ‘skip to main content’ link, making navigation repetitive.
The heading structure is not logically nested, and several headings contain no content.
Some link elements are placed outside the head element of several documents.
The navigation order on some pages is not logical.
The primary navigation bar menu is inaccessible when zoomed.

Visual Elements:

Many elements do not have sufficient colour contrast, affecting readability.
Some images are missing alternative text, which is essential for users who rely on screen readers.
Pages are not always usable when stylesheets are disabled.
It is not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping.
Users cannot modify the line height or spacing of text.

Interactive Elements:

Several tools cannot be accessed or navigated using the keyboard.
Some form fields are missing labels, making it difficult to identify which fields need to be completed.

Code and Markup:

There are empty anchor elements without link content or name/ID attributes.
Anchor elements incorrectly include href attributes without link content.
Iframe elements are missing non-empty title attributes that describe the frames.
Elements are missing name attributes.

Media:

Several videos lack audio descriptions.
Most PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software.

Data Presentation:

Some tables and graphs are structured in ways that are difficult to read using a screen reader.

Exemptions (content outside the scope of the accessibility regulations)

PDFs and other 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 (that are not intended to be printed for use) will meet accessibility standards.
Pre-recorded video and audio – the accessibility regulations do not apply to videos and audio published before 23 September 2020. Any new videos or audio added to the site will meet accessibility standards.
Maps - online maps and mapping services, as long as essential information is provided in an accessible digital manner for maps intended for navigational use.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Having assessed the cost of fixing the issues, we believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.

Following our merger with Avenues Group in November 2023, accessibility of our website has been a key focus. We will be looking at developing a new website in 2025. One of the key conditions of the new website will be to make sure it meets WCAG 2.2 A and AA success criteria, in line with the accessibility regulations.

Before this occurs, Autism Hampshire’s Communications and Marketing Officer will continue to create, edit, and update content on the existing website with accessibility in mind.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 8^th July 2024.

Autism Hampshire assessed the accessibility of our website by self-evaluation, and using online assessment tools via WAVE and ReachDeck. We do not employ anyone with the technical skills to carry out a detailed audit to see if our website content and functionality are WCAG 2.2 AA compliant. It would be a disproportionate burden for us to pay for a third party to do a detailed audit of this website, given our future plans.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or would like information from this website in a different format, please contact info@autismhampshire.org.uk or phone 01489 880881.

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).