Why this policy matters
The University of Kent Digital Accessibility Policy was approved by the EDI Strategy Group in October 2021. It's similar to GDPR in that all staff and teams at Kent need to adhere to it, to make sure the University is meeting its legal obligations.
Who it applies to
- It's for everyone who produces documents or content hosted on a digital system (including emails)
- Everyone involved in procurement, management, or development of a digital system used at Kent
What you need to do
Our accessibility guides tell you what you need to do and how to do it.
- Practical steps are arranged by task so you can find help quickly with whatever you need to do
- The guidance can support you to create a wide range of content including documents, presentations, web pages, social media, images, video and email
- Bookmark the accessibility guides for easy reference as you work
Monitoring and enforcement
The policy is monitored and enforced by the Accessible Information and Governance and Assurance teams.
1. Introduction
The University of Kent (“the University”) will ensure that all web-based content and mobile applications that it funds, develops or controls meet the requirements set out in the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (“The Regulations”). This includes making reasonable adjustments where appropriate under the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Equality Act 2010.
The Regulations require:
- full conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 Level AA
- digital systems (as defined under 3.1: Scope) to publish an accessibility statement that explains its accessibility health and outlines workarounds for any remaining barriers.
The University’s Executive Group is responsible for ensuring that the University complies with The Regulations. Appropriate steps to meet The Regulations, including advice and support, will be taken by the Accessible Information Team, supported by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Strategy Group and Accessibility Steering Group.
2. Objectives
The objective of this policy is to set out the principles we must all follow to comply with The Regulations and thereby ensure that information is made accessible to anyone who has a right to that information.