How Devon County Council websites are organised
The Devon County Council ‘website’ is actually many separate websites and services, covering different areas of our work. Each website has its own accessibility statement, to ensure we can properly describe the accessibility for each site or service.
This accessibility statement covers the main ‘parent’ website for Devon County Council at devon.gov.uk and does not cover the wider family of Devon County Council websites.
Introduction
This website is run by Devon County Council (DCC). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website, and we want this site to be as accessible as possible. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser settings
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen using browser settings
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
The My Computer My Way guide from AbilityNet is a step-by-step guide to help you make your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Translation
If you would like information on our website translated into another language, you may find one of the services listed below meets your needs. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any external website or free website translators.
Under some circumstances, for example, if you cannot read the information easily in English, you can request information in a different language from us. This includes British Sign Language, easy read or a foreign language. Please contact our customer service centre for advice.
How accessible is this website?
This website has been developed to be as accessible as possible. However, we know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:
- some content may be difficult to navigate using a screen reader
- people who use their keyboard to navigate our site will find it hard to access some content
What to do if you can’t access parts of this website
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us using the contact details below.
We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible.
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 us using the contact details below.
Feedback and contact details
For any enquiries about the accessibility of this website, you can contact us by:
- emailing digitalcomms@devon.gov.uk
- calling 0345 155 1015 and asking for the ‘Digital Communications Team’
- post at Digital Communications Team (G59), County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 4QD
British Sign Language users can contact us using an online interpreter who will relay your conversation with an appropriate member of Devon County Council staff, and then sign back to you their response to your questions
Enforcement
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
Devon County Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content types listed below are non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Principle 2: Operable
Guideline 2,4 Navigable (Accessibility problem 2.4.3, 2.4.4)
Some content may be difficult to navigate using a screen reader. This includes online forms.
Users who navigate the website using their keyboard will find it hard to access the cookie banner and the information provided in our feedback tab. Our feedback is gathered using a third-party platform and we have asked our provider to review the accessibility of their service.
Intention to fix: 12/2022
At the request of our independent auditors, our audit reports have remained in their original PDF format so may not be fully accessible to users of assistive technology. However, we are working with our auditors to ensure the documents are made as accessible as possible.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Principle 1: Perceivable
Videos
A few of our older videos lack captions and do not meet accessibility standards. The accessibility regulations do not require us to add captions to videos produced before 23 September 2020 if they’re not essential to providing our services. Any new videos we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Documents
Some of older documents are not accessible in several ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.
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. For example, we do not plan to fix some campaign material.
External links
This website links to third-party, external websites or services that may not be fully accessible.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We provide training to all content authors to ensure new content is accessible. We monitor this website regularly and we aim to address any issues promptly. We will review and update this statement accordingly.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 20 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 11 November 2022.
This website was last tested on 3 November 2022. The test was carried out using a third-party automated service called Silktide.
A sample of 125 pages were tested.
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