Accessibility Statement - Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. 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:

• some users may find it hard to see the line graphs due to low contrast of yellow against white background
• some users with colourblindness may find it difficult to distinguish between blue and purple pins on the map
• users who increase the size of text may have diffculty viewing the content of various panels, as information is obscured, partially obscured or unscrollable
• mobile users may have difficulty viewing the dashboard, particularly in landscape orientation
• it is difficult to see where the currently focused element is, as the focused element's outline has a low contrast against the adjacent colour

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

• Consider a different colour for the line graphs as the yellow against white fails non-text contrast of 3:1 (or add a dark border around the colour) (1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics, 1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast)
• Content is not restricted to a single display orientation, however it is practically impossible to engage with in landscape as content is obscured.(1.3.4 Orientation)
• Coloured pins are used (purple and blue) on the map and there is no other means of differentiation (blue and purple are difficult to distinguish for some colourblind users). (1.4.1: Use of Color)
• Text can be increased to 200% and above, but content is obscured or does not easily reflow (e.g. on map Y axis labels).(1.4.4 Resize Text)
• The dashboard would be somewhat usable in landscape orientation as it is currently seen, but there is no re-stacking of content to improve reflow and readability. The dashboard would be partially usable in landscape orientation as it is currently seen, however chart labels and other panels are obscured or do not easily reflow.(1.4.10 Reflow)
• It is very difficult to determine which page element has focus, as the border changes to white and cannot be easily seen against dashboard background.(2.4.7 Focus Visible)
• Ensure every ARIA dialog and alertdialog node has an accessible name: aria-label attribute does not exist or is empty, aria-labelledby attribute does not exist, references elements that do not exist or references elements that are empty, Element has no title attribute (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
• Landmarks must have a unique aria-label, aria-labelledby, or title to make landmarks distinguishable (aria-label=“Chart”) (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)

Disproportionate burden

• Not applicable

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

This application uses mapping functionality and imagery extensively. Maps are one of the items which are excepted from the accessibility legislation, provided essential information is provided in other ways. However, we will attempt to make the functionality of map viewers as accessible as possible within these limitations.

PDFs and other documents

• Not applicable

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 25 June 2025. It was last reviewed on 25 June 2025.

This website was last tested on 25 June 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We tested the following pages:

• Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard 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.