Accessibility Statement - DAERA Secure Messaging
This application 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:
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- tab through forms and menus in a logical order
- view content in a meaningful order
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- 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 missing top level headings on all pages
- the blue-coloured buttons on the service have low contrast
- pages are not descriptively titled, which may make it more difficult for some users to determine which page they are currently on
- a light-coloured border is present on all focusable buttons - this should be more distinct to users
- the service uses some 'pop-up' messages which disappear after a few seconds, so some users may not have sufficient time to read.
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 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
- the contrast of the blue buttons should be improved (1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum))
- a faint border is present on all focusable buttons - future improvements would be making this more distinct (2.4.7 Focus Visible).
- a collapsible 'hamburger' menu button is displayed on mobile devices but there are no menu items (3.2.3 Consistent Navigation).
- Toastr messages should not be used as they do not persist on the page, and they can be missed by some users or do not give enough time to read. We intend to display error summaries below the H1 heading instead.
- There is a non-unique ID on an H5 heading (session expiry modal). There are broken aria references to aria-labelledby on the modal window.(4.1.1 Parsing)
- Best practice is to wrap all page content within landmarks, so that screenreaders can easily identify regions of the main (e.g. main role="main"). (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
Issues with text
- Add H1 headings to all pages. There is an empty table header cell on the downloads table (include a visually-hidden label or use aria-label) (1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 2.4.6 Headings and Labels.)
- Pages are not descriptively titled - the page title should be similar to the main heading of the page, and helps screenreader users determine which page they are currently on (2.4.2 Page Titled).
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- No known issues
Issues with images, video and audio
- No known issues
Issues with interactive tools and transactions
- No known issues
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 24/10/2022. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.
We tested the pages listed below (which represent the general functionality and layout of the web application). 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).
- Email correspondence
- SMS Text Message
- Validate Phone
- Code Confirmation
- Message Details - Tested with or without attachment
- Message Details with Reply - Tested with or without attachment
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 24 October 2022. It was last updated on 24 October 2022.