Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to wmc.ac.uk.

This website is run by Wirral Met College. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. 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 are not fully accessible. Accessibility issues are listed under ‘Non Accessibility Issues’ within this statement.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: 

• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
• Call: 0151 551 7777

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  
• Call: 0151 551 7777

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 7 days.

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

Wirral Met College 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) 2.1 AA standard.

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 listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

1. Some dropdown links from along the top of the webpage are not accessible using the keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard
    
   
2. The keyboard focus is not visible when tabbing between various buttons and links. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible
   
   
3. At 400% zoom, some website content is not fully visible for users. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow 
   
   
4. The carousel at the top of the homepage cannot be paused, stopped or hidden. This fails WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
   
   
5. When hovering over the navigation bar dropdown menus, there is no mechanism to dismiss the additional content triggered without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus. This fails WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
   
   
6. Keyboard navigation should reflect a navigation sequence that is consistent with the meaning of content. This is not the case on some pages. This fails WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order
   
   
7. Some text and elements do not have sufficient colour contrast. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum): Elements must have sufficient colour contrast. 
   
   This issue has been fixed on the identified pages and we will continue to ensure sufficient colour contrast is applied and corrected going forward. 
   
   
8. Not all images and graphic contain alternatives or alt attributes to allow people using screen readers to understand them. This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content: SVG images and graphics require accessible text.
   
   
9. In some parts of the website there is incorrect use of ARIA attributes which can cause conflicts with semantic HTML elements which may cause errors in assistive technology and make accessibility worse for a user. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes. 
   
   
10. Some buttons do not contain a descriptive accessible name so that screen reader users can understand the destination, purpose, function, or action of the button. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: Buttons must have discernible text. 
    
    
11. Form labels are not always present which a descriptive accessible name so that screen reader users can understand the destination, purpose, function, or action of the button. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: Select element must have an accessible name. 
    
    
12. Links are not always distinguishable without relying on colour. This fails WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color: Links must be distinguishable without relying on colour. 
    
    This issue has been fixed on the identified pages and we will continue to ensure links are distinguishable as they are added to the website. 
    
    
13. Text cannot always be resized up to 200 percent without loss of content or function. This fails WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text 
    
    
14. Not all PDF documents have titles that describe the topic or purpose of the page. This fails WCAG 2.4.2 Page titled 
    
    
15. Not all content in PDF documents is tagged to provide information about structured content such as headings, tables, lists, paragraphs and form fields. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: Content is not tagged.

We plan to rectify all identified issues in the redevelopment of a new fully compliment website, due to launch in February 2025. A full accessibility audit will take place, prior to the launch of the new website to ensure that none of the identified issues are carried forward.

Disproportionate burden

We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues listed above. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. 

The disproportionate burden is claimed to apply until February 2025, when the new website is expected to go live. After this point, the accessibility issues will be resolved with the launch of the new site, which will be built to meet current accessibility standards.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

• Live video - We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

All identified issues will be resolved with the redevelopment of the new website. Any issues that can be fixed by our in-house team and therefore incur no cost have been actioned.

We are also currently planning an Accessiblity Audit which will be carried out in the coming weeks. This statement will be updated following this. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 22/08/2024. It was last reviewed on 22/08/2024.

This website was last tested on 13/08/2020 against the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.

The test was carried out by Qlue.