Accessibility Statement - DECOL (Export Certificate)
This application is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland.
The application was tested using the Pet Exports user journey, however this Accessibility Statement encompasses the following versions of the application:
- Live Animal Exports
- Pet Exports
- Milk and Milk Product Exports
- Animal Products and Animal By-Products Exports
- Fish and Seafood Product Exports for Human Consumption
- Egg and Egg Products Exports
- Zoo, exotic and other animal Exports
- Balai, zoo and exotic animal Exports
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:
- listen to instructions and content using the screenreading software on your mobile device
- clearly distinguish text and content, and be able to magnify or zoom
- view content in a meaningful order
- clearly understand the content and instructions of the application.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this application is
We know some parts of this application aren't fully accessible:
- There is missing alternate text to allow screenreaders to identify some images
- There are some skipped heading levels, so it may be hard for screenreader users to identify text hierarchy
- There are some contrast issues with green buttons and blue links
- input fields have very light borders which do not pass minimum contrast
- The application uses datepickers which are not easily accessed by keyboard-only users, making it difficult for some users to progress further in the application
- all pages are titled the same, which makes it harder for some users to identify which page they are on
- when progressing or going back a page, the user is not returned to the top of the page, which may be confusing for keyboard-only users especially
- the link text does not always describe the purpose of the link, and users are not always alerted to links which open in a new window
- there are some fields where the entry instructions are not clear for some users (e.g. time of loading)
- there are some accessibility issues with PDFs associated with this application
What to do if you can't access parts of this application
If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this application, you can contact a DAERA Direct Regional Office.
- email DAERA Direct Regional Offices
- call 0300 200 7840
A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.
Reporting accessibility problems with this application
We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this application. 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 Affairs
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
Belfast BT4 3SB
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 application's accessibility
DAERA is committed to making its application accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This application is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Issues with technology
- Input fields have very light borders which do not pass contrast ratio standards (1.4.11 Non-text contrast)
- When pressing the 'Next' or 'Go back' buttons, the user is not returned to the top of the page - tabbing continues to the next focusable element - so the meaningful order is lost (2.4.3 Focus Order)
- The format for 'time of loading' field could be ambiguous for some users - and a screenreader user is not alerted to an invalid entry (e.g. using a period instead of a colon) (3.3.2 Labels or instructions)
- There are some broken or incorrect Aria references and non-unique IDs (4.1.1 Parsing)
- All pages are missing a 'main' landmark (main role="main") which helps assistive technologies to identify the principal region of the page - all content should also be contained within landmark regions.
Issues with text
- There are skipped heading levels, so it may be hard for some screenreader users to identify the hierarchy of the text (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
- A number of contrast issues with buttons and links (1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum))
- All pages have the same ambiguous title 'Forms', so users cannot easily identify which pafe they are on (2.4.2 Page Titled)
- There are a number of occasions where the same text is used for different link URLs - link text should describe the purpose of the link (2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context))
- User should be alerted when a link opens in a new window (3.2.2 On Input)
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- There are some accessibility issues with PDF documents associated with this application, including missing alternate text on images, missing table headers and regularity issues with tables.
Issues with images, video and audio
- There is missing alternate text on some images (1.1.1 Non-text content)
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
- The application uses datepickers - these cannot be easily accessed by tabbing and the user is unable to progress without entering a date (2.1.1 Keyboard, 2.1.2 No keyboard Trap)
How we tested this application
This application was last tested on 28 July 2022. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.
The following screens were tested:
- Homepage/Welcome
- Application Details
- Supporting Documents
- Declaration
- 06 21 - DAERA Stakeholder Industry Bulletin - Crown Gold Removal - Commencement of Public Beta Phase (PDF)
- Exporter Information Notice 01-2021 ANNEX - DECOL Dispatch Premises - Drop Down Menu (PDF)
- Validate Certificate
- Export Certificate Application Details
Tested on Google Chrome using WAVE and Axe Beta extensions, High Contrast extension and GreyScale extension. Checked with NVDA screenreading software. PDFs checked with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. The screens also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust), such as keyboard-only and tabbing accessibility, clear concise labelling and instructions and meaningful sequence.
The accessibility evaluation report can be made available on request.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'Development 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 02 August 2022. It was last updated on 02 August 2022.