Accessibility Statement - Dead Wild Bird Online Reporting Tool

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 some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

• form field inputs have a faint outline border which some users may find hard to see
• some links open in a new tab or window without warning the user
• some users may have difficulty using the map functionality to enter a location, however alternative fields to input a location have been provided
• it may not be immediately clear to users that some fields accept numeric characters only
• Some broken Aria commands and redundant titles may make it harder for screenreader users to use this application

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 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, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• Broken aria reference (aria-describedby=“undefined”) on attachmentsList; Broken aria menu (does not contain required menu items); 3 x Aria commands must have accessible name (expand icons beside headings); 7 x ARIA role presentation is not allowed for given element (radio buttons) (1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 4.1.2, Name, Role, Value)
• Low contrast on map message ‘Cannot find your location’ (1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum))
• The contrast ratio between text input border (light grey) and the white background is only 1.6:1 which is below the 3:1 required ratio (1.4.11 Non-text Contrast)
• Includes empty 'lang' references within the page which cause it to fail WAVE tests (3.1.2 Language of Parts)
• Users should be alerted when links open in new window; ‘RSPB’ link opens in new window without alerting user;‘Wild birds advice for the public’ opens in new window without alerting user: Adding (opens in new tab) to the end of links will correct this. (3.2.2 On Input)
• ‘Press here’ is considered suspicious link text
• Birds information – it’s not immediately clear that these are numeric fields (change question to ‘Enter number of dead birds of prey’, etc) (3.3.3 Error Suggestion)
• It's possible for a user to submit the form without entering any information at all, as no initially viewable fields are mandatory (3.3.4 Error Prevention)

Disproportionate burden

• Not applicable

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

• Not applicable

PDFs and other documents

• No associated PDF documents.

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 7 July 2023. It was last reviewed on 28 April 2025.

This website was last tested on 28 April 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We tested the following pages:

• DAERA Wildbird Online Reporting Tool
• Confirmation/Thank you

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.