Accessibility Statement - Timber Sales Management System
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:
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:
- some pages skip headings levels, and page titles (in the browser tab) are not sufficiently descriptive of the page the user is viewing
- there is no way to adjust or extend the time before a user is logged out
- when text is resized to 200%, there are some overlapping page elements
- where pop-up windows are displayed, the user should only be able to keyboard tab within the pop-up window
- there are some missing labels, making it harder to identify form fields
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, please contact DAERA Digital Services Division (DSD).
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 AffairsClare House
303 Airport Road West
Belfast BT3 9ED
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
- Add aria-hidden="true" to glyphicons, so they can be ignored by screenreaders (1.1.1 Non-text Content)
- Some empty table headers (e.g. on Invoices table above the action buttons (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
- There was no observed mechanism allowing the timeout to be turned off, adjusted or extended (2.2.1 Timing Adjustable)
- When a pop-up window is open ('Edit alias', 'Create permit'), focus should be trapped within the modal window. User should not be able to tab to items behind it (2.4.3 Focus Order)
- Some 'tooltip'- style icons appear to get focus but do not do anything (Customer details screen) (2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context))
- Create permit - date and time fields both use the aria-label="date", which would confuse some users as to what information is required (3.3.2 Labels or Instructions)
- Whilst an error summary is included, there is no inline identification of the form fields in error. Whilst this is not explicitly called for in the criterion, it's been a convention for most DAERA applications to show both an error summary and inline errors in red. (3.3.1 Error identification)
- When a permit is successfully created, a modal window is used to display a success message. This is not using 'role=status' or aria-live="polite" which would help screenreaders identify or prioritise its purpose (4.1.3 Status Messages)
Issues with text
- Ensure all pages have at least an H1 heading, and that heading hierarchy is preserved, i.e no skipped heading levels (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
- There are some instances where buttons overlap other content on the page (View lots) or the button text expands beyond the button background, causing visibility issues (1.4.4 Resize Text)
- Pages are titled 'TSMS.Web.External', which is not sufficiently descriptive of the page the user is currently viewing (2.4.2 Page Titled)
- Missing form labels observed on some screens, and also orphaned form labels (i.e. form labels which are not associated with any form field) (3.3.2 Labels or Instructions)
Issues with PDFs and other documents
- There were some issues with undeclared language of the document, untagged content, and regularity of the table (due to merged/split cells in the header).
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 01 August 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). The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). We also tested using NVDA screenreader, and Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker.
We tested:
- Lots
- Permits
- Permit details
- Customer details
- Create permit
- Invoices
- Invoice schedule
- Invoice schedule PDF
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. We also carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.
This statement was prepared on 01 August 2024. It was last updated on 01 August 2024.