Accessibility Statement - NI Coastal Observatory
This website is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.
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 aren't fully accessible:
- there are some empty buttons which are read by screenreaders but have no discernable purpose and may disrupt users when tabbing using a keyboard
- some text does not pass minimum contrast requirements
- at 150% magnification, some text is lost from the left hand side of the page and there is some horizontal scrolling
- it's hard to see which item has been tabbed to on the main menu bar, as the blue outline is low contrast against the navy background
- there is no 'skip to main content' to bypass the links in the main menu
- headings do not use standard heading elements, so may not be identify the page structure as efficiently
- the text of some buttons may be considered ambiguous - such as 'Click to learn more' or 'Visit'
- some PDF documents associated with the service are not fully accessible.
What to do if you can't access parts of this website
If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this website, 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 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 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 AffairsDundonald 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 website's accessibility
DAERA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications)(No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Issues with technology
- Remove empty buttons (buttons without accessible text) which are read by screenreaders but have no discernable purpose. They also disrupt the focus order as they are not visible when tabbing (1.1.1: Non-text Content, 2.4.3 Focus Order)
- Minimum contrast fails for some green buttons (Explore 2D) with white text. Also fails for text on datasets cards (light grey background) (1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum))
- At 150% magnification, some text is lost from the page (introduces horizontal scrolling but text is still lost on the left hand side of the screen) (1.4.4: Resize text)
- Visible focus indicator falls below 3:1 minimum contrast on the main menu (1.4.11: Non-text Contrast, 2.4.7 Focus Visible)
- There is no 'skip to main content' to bypass the links in the main menu. (2.4.1 Bypass blocks)
- Some use of positive tab indexes - these should be avoided as they interfere with the focus order (2.4.3 Focus Order)
- Missing main landmark throughout. All page elements should be included within page landmarks (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
Issues with text
- H1-H6 headings should be used to present the heading hierarchy (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
- The text of some buttons may be considered ambiguous - such as 'Click to learn more' or 'Visit', as this is what's read out by screenreaders and gives no indication of the link purpose (2.4.4 Link Purpose)
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- There are some non-compliances in PDFs linked to from this website, including:
- No primary language
- Failed tagged content
- Failed tab order
- Failed bookmarks
- Failed alternate text
- Failed table structure (rows, headers and regularity)
- Failed lists
- Failed headings (nesting)
- Whilst DAERA link to, but do not own some of these documents, those documents which DAERA owns will be checked and corrected.
Issues with images, video and audio
- No known issues
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
- The website contains mapviewers. Maps are exempt from accessibility requirements provided accessible alternatives for essential information are provided. Nevertheless, where we can improve the accessibility of mapping functionality, we try to do so.
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 25 January 2024. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.
We chose to sample those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. The sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe testing tool and WAVE (Web Accessiblity Evaluation Tool). PDF documents were tested using Adobe Accessibility Checker. NVDA was used to check basic screenreading capability. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).
We tested:
- Home
- About
- Our Data
- Map Viewers
- Reports
- Topographic LiDAR
- PDF - Coastal_Heritage_Resources_Mapping_Project_2022_-_DAERA
What we're doing to improve accessibility
The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UX 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.
This statement was prepared on 25 January 2024. It was last updated on 25 January 2024.