Accessibility Statement - Natural Environment Map Viewer

• View Natural Environment Map Viewer

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:

• not all icons and images have appropriate accessible text
• there are some missing form labels on the Zoom to Coordinate and Search panel
• the map uses colour to identify features (sometimes with pattern or crosshatching) and the contrast of these areas with the map background is low - this may make it difficult for some users with low vision or colour blindness
• some users of assistive technologies may have difficulty distinguishing regions or landmarks on the page
• there are instances where alternative text is the same as title text or visual title, and where there are adjacent links going to the same URL. On some screenreaders, this can result in additional navigation and repeating of spoken cues.
• there are some areas where a keyboard-only user may not be able to access input fields (Zoom to Coordinate). Additionally, there are areas where tabbing between elements is not intuitive, such as moving between checkboxes to add/remove map layers
• in light of the complex nature of this application, navigating the map functionality may prove difficult for keyboard-only users
• the video tutorial does not include captions or an audio description, and a non-time-based alternative/transcript is not available

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

• Empty buttons - button elements are present but contain no text content (e.g. attributes table, main header bar) (1.1.1: Non-text Content, 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context))
• There are missing form labels for fields on the ZoomToCoordinate pop-up, and on the map search panel (1.1.1: Non-text Content, 2.4.6: Headings and Labels)
• Although ARIA-labels are included, there are 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)
• There appears to be a keyboard trap on the ZoomToCoordinate pop-up window where the user cannot keyboard tab directly to the input fields (2.1.2: No Keyboard Trap)
• Rate this application - there are missing language of part declarations (3.1.2 Language of Parts)
• Where error or success messages are present, they should be contained within the role="alert", "status" or "log" - so the status can be identified by assistive technologies without receiving focus (4.1.3: Status Messages)
• Empty heading in the header bar (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
• 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))
• 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)
• Multiple missing alternative text on images throughout site, e.g. Icons on the left hand nav bar do not have alternative text, missing alt text on legend images, missing alt text on layers icons (1.1.1: Non-text Content)
• People with low vision or colour blindness may find it especially difficult to differentiate features on the map from the layers, as they are largely reliant on colour - although some patternation/cross-hatching is also used. (1.3.3: Sensory Characteristics, 1.4.1 Use of Colour)
• The map itself presents a number of contrast issues, particularly very low contrast (1.31:1) yellow on white. (1.4.11 Non-text Contrast)
• The video tutorial has no captions or audio description, and there is no non-time-based alternative, such as a transcript to describe the contents of the video (1.2 Time-based Media).
• 'Rate this application' page - each input option is required to have an individual language but currently does not (3.1.2: Language of Parts)

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

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.

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 11 May 2022. It was last reviewed on 16 January 2025.

This website was last tested on 5 May 2022 against the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We tested the following pages:

• NIEA Natural Environment Map Viewer
• Video Tutorial (as hosted on YouTube)
• Feedback page

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.