Accessibility Statement - ASSI Permissions

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:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

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

How accessible this website is

We know parts of this website are not fully accessible.

• some form fields do not have labels associated with them, which may make it hard for some users to identify them
• there are missing or skipped heading levels which may make it more difficult for some users to understand the page structure
• there is low contrast on some buttons, process steps and on the asterisks used to identify required fields
• there are missing landmarks which help screenreader users identify different regions of the page
• when resizing text or viewing on a mobile device, some content is cut off, especially tabular content
• some links open in a new tab or window, but the user is not alerted to this
• there is no success status message to indicate when a document is uploaded

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the DAERA Helpline who will direct you towards the correct branch or division.

• email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk
• call 0300 200 7852

You can also contact the DAERA Helpline if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact DAERA 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

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, call or email us for directions.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland 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 Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

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.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. The non-compliances are listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• ARIA landmarks should be used to identify regions of the page. There are no 'main' landmarks, and page content is not contained within landmarks (1.3.1: Info and Relationships, 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value)
• Some loss of content and functionality on tabular information. Tables are generally exempt from this criterion however given that button functionality may be lost from page in this instance, it should probably be corrected (1.4.10 Reflow)
• When select ASSI names, some functionality appears to automatically select items and move them into the opposite text area without use of the 'add' button - only happens intermittently (3.2.2: On Input)
• Inline error messages are described in text to the user. Would be preferable to use both an error summary at top of page and inline errors (3.3.1 Error Identification)
• No success status message when document is uploaded. No ‘role=alert’ (4.1.3: Status Messages)
• There are missing or unassociated labels/fieldset legends throughout the application (1.1.1: Non-text Content, 3.3.2: Labels or Instructions)
• Missing H1 headings thoughout, skipped heading levels (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
• 'Indicates required field' should be basic body text, not an H4 (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
• Multiple contrast failures on; blue or green buttons; grey add or remove arrow buttons; process steps (blue background); blue asterisk for required fields (1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum))
• Text can be resized to 200% but there is some loss of content on left hand side, and tables are truncated on right hand side of page (1.4.4 Resize Text)
• Purpose of links are generally obvious from link context, however it is recommended that 'friendly links' are used in place of the full URLs on guidance pages (2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context))
• Links which open in a new window/tab should be labelled '(opens in new tab)' to alert the user beforehand, as this is considered a change of context (3.2.2: On Input)

Disproportionate burden

• Not applicable

Content that’s not within 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. For example, we do not plan to fix [example of non-essential document].

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

DAERA is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UX 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 endeavour to carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13 September 2024. It was last reviewed on 13 September 2024.

This website was last tested on 13 September 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

The following pages were tested:

• Homepage
• Non Public Guidance
• Application Type
• Applicant List
• Works Details/Works Details 2
• Documents
• Summary
• Complete Application

We chose to test those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. Sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE testing tools. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). We also test using NVDA screenreader, and Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker (where applicable).

The full accessibility test report can be made available on request.