Accessibility Statement - Drinking Water Inspectorate Viewer

This website is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.

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

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

  • not all icons and images have appropriate accessible text
  • not all checkboxes and inputs have labels which can be read by screenreaders
  • the map functionality contains areas of colour which may be difficult for some users to differentiate
  • some link text does not pass minimum contrast requirements
  • the focus indicator, showing where the user has tabbed to on the page, is not always easily distinguishable
  • the user is not always warned when links open in a new tab or window
  • overall, navigating the map functionality may prove difficult for keyboard-only users

What to do if you can't access parts of this website

If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this website, you can contact the Drinking Water Inspectorate

A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

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 the DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you are unhappy with the quality of service received, in the first instance, you can make a complaint to DAERA.

Enforcement procedure

If you remain dissatisfied with the Department's final response to your complaint, you can refer your case to the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI), which is responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations. You can contact them.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
Belfast BT4 3SB

DAERA Headquarters map location

Call DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact the Department via Text Relay using the Next Generation Text Service (NGTS).

  • Making a call from a textphone dial 18001 + number.
  • Making a call from a telephone dial 18002 + number.

There are also various Text to Speech applications available to use.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

DAERA 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-compliances listed below.

The application is primarily map-based and cannot be made fully accessible at this time. Gov.uk advises that maps do not need to be fixed but that essential information is provided in an accessible format.

Issues with technology

  • No page regions or ARIA landmarks were found - these are important to identify main areas of the page (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
  • Tables are being used for layout. Where possible tables should be avoided for layout as these introduce reading and navigation order issues for screenreader users (1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence)
  • Missing form labels on some of the panels (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
  • Incorrect use of aria-label attribute (4.1.1: Parsing)
  • Rate this application - there are missing language of part declarations (3.1.2 Language of Parts)

Issues with text

  • Empty H2 heading (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
  • Text contrast minimum is not met for some links (1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum))
  • Some links do not warn the users when opening a new tab or window. Also, ambiguous link terms such as 'click here' are used instead of descriptive titles or phrases (2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context), 3.2.2: On Input)
  • There are instances of redundant adjacent links which results in additional navigation and repetition for keyboard and screenreader users (2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context))
  • Justified text and underlined non-linked text should be avoided (1.4.12 Text Spacing) 
  • Rate this application - missing H1 header. Also, WAVE does not consider the title of the application to be sufficiently informative  (1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 2.4.2 Page Titled)

Issues with PDFs and other documents

  • No PDFs associated with this application.

Issues with images, video and audio

  • There is incorrect or missing alt text on some icon buttons and also on the panel heading icons. The alt text should also be descriptive and relevant (1.1.1 Non-text Content)

Issues with interactive tools and transactions

  • Display of drinking water locations is extremely indistinct on the map - it may be beneficial if clearly visible markers could be added to highlight areas of interest (1.4.1 Use of Colour, 1.4.11 Non-text contrast)
  • Positive tab indexes are set for many items which overrides the expected DOM order in some instances (1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence, 2.4.3 Focus Order). However, as this is a map-based application, it should be acknowledged that there may not be one single meaningful sequence of interaction.
  • Items receiving focus have a visible blue border - but this has low contrast against particular areas on the map (2.4.7 Focus Visible)
  • Tooltips are used to identify the meaning of various icon buttons. These tooltips do not fulfil the dismissible or hoverable criteria. It's unlikely that this can be amended, as it is part of the ArcGIS functionality (1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus)
  • 'Rate this application' page - each input option is required to have an individual language but currently does not (3.1.2: Language of Parts)
  • 'Rate this application' page - the target reference for an ARIA 'labelled-by' does not exist for the star rating input (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 14 February 2022. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We chose to sample those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. The sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe testing tool and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool). The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). NVDA screenreading software was also used for testing.

We tested:

What we're doing to improve accessibility

The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'Development Checklist', we require developers to design software with accessibility compliance built in. In those circumstances where compliance cannot be met, reasons for this should be documented, along with steps for addressing issues. We also carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

This statement was prepared on 15 February 2022. It was last updated on 15 February 2022.

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