Accessibility Statement - ssRMP
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
- view content in a meaningful order
- clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.
AbilityNet(external link opens in a new window / tab) 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:
- when pop-up windows are opened, the keyboard user should only be able to click inside the window - not in the parent window - as this can be disorienting and makes it difficult for keyboard-only users to complete the form
- Missing alternative (accessible) text on error icons and all menu icons on ssRMP Map
- Some skipped or missing heading levels may make it difficult for some users to understand page structure
- Information icons are used but it's not clear to users what they are for or that they open content in a new tab
- When errors or success messages are returned, they are not prioritised to screenreader users. So some users may not be aware that errors have occurred until they tab through the rest of the content on the page.
- the application includes complex mapping functionality which cannot be made fully accessible.
- some of the PDFs created in this application are not fully accessible at this time
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)(external link opens in a new window / tab), which is responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations.
You can contact them(external link opens in a new window / tab).
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 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 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Issues with technology
- None of the tested modal windows in the application are trapping focus - this is an issue as a keyboard-only user may be still be tabbing through items on the parent window and cannot get back to the modal window without going right back to the start. Only items within the modal window should receive focus for the duration it is open. (2.4.3 Focus Order)
- Much of the tabular content causes two-dimensional scrolling. This is considered an exception in the WCAG guidelines, but future improvements in stacking these inputs would be preferable.(1.4.10 Reflow)
- Ticking the checkboxes under 'Fields included' updates the 'Total area', but there is no role="alert" for screenreaders to announce a change of content (possibly context) elsewhere on the page. It is even difficult for non sight-impaired users to spot as it is above the checkbox fields . (3.2.2 On Input)
- A number of non-unique fields identified with WAVE and Axe (4.1.1 Parsing)
- No main landmark on any pages - all pages should have at least a main landmark (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value) to help screenreaders to identify the pages most important content.
- When errors or success messages are returned, they are not given role="alert" to allow them to be identified as priority by screenreaders. This would make it diffiult for screenreader users to understand why the form is not submitting without trawling through the whole page until they come across the error information. (4.1.3 Status Messages)
Issues with text
- Some skipped or missing heading levels. (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- The PDF Map created within this service is not fully accessible at this time. We are working at making this more accessible or providing the information in an alternative accessible format.
- Accessibility regulations don't 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 don't plan to fix older user guides for legacy applications.
- Any new PDF documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Issues with images, video and audio
- Missing alt (accessible) text on error icons (Form) and all menu icons on ssRMP Map. (1.1.1 Non-text Content)
- Where information icons are used there is no visible textual information to describe what they are or whether they open in a new window. (2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context))
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
- The service includes complex geospatial mapping functionality which cannot be made fully accessible. GOV.UK suggest that maps are not required to be made fully accessible, so long as the essential information is made available in an alternative accessible format.
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 24 June 2022. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.
The pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) Chrome extensions and NVDA screen reader. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). Adobe Acrobat Accessibility was used to produce a PDF accessibility report, and Microsoft Office built in accessiblity checks were used to test Excel Spreadsheets.
We tested the following pages:
- Form - Welcome
- Form - Management Units
- Form - Additional Information
- Form - Declarations
- Form - Option and NPI Selection
- Form - Additional Information
- ssRMP Map (using GeoCortex)
- PDF Map
- Farm Features Report Excel - Farm Features
The accessibility evaluation report (HPRM ref) 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 19 May 2022. It was last updated on 24 June 2022.