Accessibility Statement - Northern Ireland Regional Landscape Character Assessment
This statement applies to Northern Ireland Regional Landscape Character Assessment.
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:
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.
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:
- there is some missing alternate text to identify a logo
- some users may find the heading structure difficult to follow
- some users may misconstrue underlined text as links
- there are a few instances of low contrast text which some users may find difficult to read
- some descriptions of topic or purpose are not very clear
- some keyboard users will find it difficult to see which page element has received focus
- some buttons and labels have no content
- some links open in a new tab or window without tell the user that this is happening
What to do if you can't access parts of this website
If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this website, you can contact the Northern Ireland Environment Agency
- email nieainfo@daera-ni.gov.uk
A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact the DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.
If you are unhappy with the quality of service received, in the first instance, you can make a complaint to DAERA.
Enforcement procedure
If you remain dissatisfied with the Department's final response to your complaint, you can refer your case to the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI), which is responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations. You can contact them.
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural AffairsClare House
303 Airport Road West
Belfast BT3 9ED
DAERA Headquarters map location
Call DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.
If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact the Department 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.
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.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
The application has a large mapping element - these cannot be made fully accessible. Gov.uk advises that maps do not need to be fixed but that essential information should be available in an accessible format.
Issues with technology
- Avoid using tables used for layout (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
- The story map works as a series of steps, or process. An improvement would be to anchor link to different pages/areas from the homepage and/or map (2.4.5: Multiple Ways)
- It is very difficult to track the location of the focus, due to side anchor link dots and other elements not displaying a visible border or colour change (2.4.7: Focus Visible)
- Target size of (and spacing between) side dots for navigating through pages is below 24x24px (2.5.8: Target Size (Minimum))
Issues with text
- Headings present as wrapper around p and span elements, so these are picked up as alerts (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
- Use H3 instead of underlined text, as underlined text can be confused with hyperlinks (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
- Page numbers on blue background fail minimum contrast, Text ‘overview map’ (white on blue) fails contrast (1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum))
- H1 and H2 headings describe the topic or purpose. However phrases like 'Tap for details' or 'Swipe to explore' aren't immediately descriptive of what users should expect (2.4.6: Headings and Labels)
- Instances of empty buttons and labels - there is no text within some label elements or no text/action on some button elements (2.5.3: Label in Name, 3.3.2: Labels or Instructions)
- Some links on the homepage open in a new tab/window, which is considered a change of context. Users should be alerted when a new tab will be opened. (Background report link- dead link, LCA links) (3.2.2: On Input)
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- No PDFs generated by this application.
Issues with images, video and audio
- Missing alt text on NIEA logo, and Aria-label 'logo link' is ambiguous (1.1.1: Non-text Content)
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
- No known issues
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 27 August 2024. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.
We chose to sample those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. The sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe testing tool and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool). The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). NVDA screenreading software was also used for testing.
We tested:
- Homepage
What we're doing to improve accessibility
The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'User Experience 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 carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.
This statement was prepared on 28 August 2024. It was last updated on 28 August 2024.