View the site your way
There are a number of customisation options for your browser and device that could help you use CAPS and other websites more effectively.
AbilityNet provide advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Explore some of our recommendations for tools that can make your online experience better.
Feedback and contact information
Please contact us if you have an accessibility query including:
- If you are experiencing issues with accessing information or using the website
- If you find an accessibility problem not listed on this statement
- If you have positive feedback on the accessibility considerations made.
When you contact us there is a process in place that will acknowledge your contact, tell you who is dealing with it and give you a timescale by which you can expect a reply.
Alternative formats
We have designed our content to be as accessible as possible. If you still experience barriers, you can request alternative formats. For more information please contact us.
Some of the files hosted on the website, such as PDFs, may have been created by different authors and for different publishers. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of these documents. If you require these materials in an alternative format please use tools for file conversion to accessible formats such as SensusAccess.
For further information please contact us for support in obtaining alternative formats. Please note that due to the content of the material it may take some time to produce alternative formats for content (such as complex charts and diagrams). When you contact us to request an alternative format, we will discuss your requirements with you.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the University of Kent’s webmaster to register your difficulty. This helps us improve our systems.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 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 Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The University of Kent is committed to making its website and associated subdomains accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance Status
The website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
We formally test the accessibility of key user journeys that represent the breadth of content across our website on a regular basis against WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Some parts of the website may not work for everyone. Below are known issues that we either need to fix, cannot fix, or do not need to fix right now.
If you find an issue that we have missed please contact us.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
This section covers issues that we need to fix and are working to do so.
Headings are not sequential
Some pages may not contain consistent marked-up headings. (WCAG: 1.3.1).
The page is missing a top level heading. (WCAG: 1.3.1).
Text styled to look like a heading but lacking appropriate HTML tag
Some of the text on the page has been styled to appear visually like a heading. This means emphasis is only visual and the heading is not defined with an appropriate HTML tag. (WCAG: 2.4.6 and 1.3.1).
Headings used to create visual emphasis
Some text has been marked up as headings purely to add emphasis. This emphasis would be more appropriately done with CSS styling than using a heading tag. (WCAG: 1.3.1 and 2.4.6).
Page structure missing landmarks
Some of the pages have elements which are not contained in appropriate landmarks such as ARIA labels and HTML 5 tags. (WCAG 1.3.1)
The website’s language is not specified
The website does not have a language specified. This can cause issues for the accuracy of screen reader applications. (WCAG 3.1.1).
Contrast Issues
Some pages contain elements with low contrast between the elements and its background particularly when under focus. This can cause the text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision, poor eyesight or colour blindness. (WCAG 1.4.5).
Frames missing titles
Some iframes used do not have an appropriate title attribute to identify the element. (WCAG: 4.1.2).
Images without a description
Some images on our website don't have appropriate alternative text. (WCAG: 1.1.1).
Incorrectly tagged decorative images
Images which are purely decorative are not identified as such. (WCAG 1.1.1).
Links without meaningful purpose
Some of the links are not labelled clearly. This means that the links do not make sense when they are taken out of context, and for some links it is not possible to know what the purpose of the link is. (WCAG: 2.4.4).
Images containing embedded text
Some images contain embedded text. The text content is not available in another format which allows for it to magnified or read aloud by screen reader software. (WCAG: 1.4.9).
Disproportionate burden
This section covers issues that we cannot fix right now. We’ve assessed the cost of fixing these issues but believe that doing so would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the law.
Not applicable.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
This section covers issues that we do not need to fix right now. The law calls these exemptions.
Not applicable.
Third-Party content
Embedded content from Clearoutside.com
The website features the ClearOutside.com weather forecast chart which is embedded third party content.
This element is not accessible and as it is third-party we are not able to control this content.
Clicking the embedded element opens the ClearOutside.com website and this is compatible with assistive technologies.
PDF files
Some of the files hosted on the website, such as PDFs, may have been created by different authors and for different publishers. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of these documents. If you require these materials in an alternative format please use tools for file conversion to accessible formats such as SensusAccess.
For further information please contact us for support in obtaining alternative formats.
Please note that due to the content of the material it may take some time to produce alternative formats for content such as complex charts and diagrams. When you contact us to request an alternative format we will discuss with you your requirements and any possible challenges in creating alternative formats.
SearchBOX: Third party Accessibility Statement Resource
To help accessibility compliance across the sector, the University of Kent supports searchBOX, a centralised, independent directory of third-party accessibility information.
SearchBOX catalogues the contact information and accessibility statements of third-party suppliers, enables the sharing of community-generated accessibility statements, and allows users to map their supplier ecosystem.
Users can access third-party accessibility statements using the free searchBOX Finder service.
The University of Kent encourages all our partners and suppliers to support this effort by ensuring that their accessibility information is included in the searchBOX directory.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 28 April 2020. It was last reviewed on 20th March 2022.
This website was last tested on 20th July 2020. The test was carried out by the University of Kent.