Accessibility statement - Claim Confirmation

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.

• cannot navigate through declarations information using only the keyboard
• missing 'skip to main content' link
• title of pages are not descriptive
• heading issue on declaration page

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

• When the declarations information is shown the information cannot be navigated through using only the keyboard, this makes it inaccessible for users who rely on using only a keyboard to navigate. (2.1.1 Keyboard)
• Consider adding a 'skip to main content' link so users who are using a keyboard to navigate through the application can get straight to the main content and don't have to tab through 'exit application' and DAERA logo. (2.4.1 Bypass Blocks)
• The title of pages displayed in the browser tab is not descriptive of the page you are viewing (2.4.2 Page Titled)
• On the declaration screen, 'H2' has been used twice within the same tag. This should be removed all together and use Bootstrap text sizing to achieve desired text size. H2 should not be used to make text appear larger, but to provide hierarchy for headings/content. (2.4.6 Headings and Labels)

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 18 December 2023. It was last reviewed on 18 December 2023.

This website was last tested on 18 December 2023 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

The following pages were tested:

• Claim confirmation
• Claim table
• Claim summary

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.