XClose

Accessibility

Menu

DocuSign accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the DocuSign application.

DocuSign is a third-party application run by DocuSign. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application, which means that you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader

Due to DocuSign being a third-party platform, some aspects of its accessibility are outside of UCL's immediate control. 

There are a number of customisation options for your browser and device that could help you use this website and other websites more effectively. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Feedback and contact information

Please contact us if you have an accessibility query including:

  • If you are experiencing issues with accessing information or using the website
  • If you find an accessibility problem not listed on this statement
  • If you have positive feedback on the accessibility considerations made. 

When you contact UCL's DocuSign Team, there is a process in place to acknowledge your contact, tell you who is dealing with your query and give you a timescale by which you can expect a reply.

We aim to respond to all contacts within 2 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We formally test the accessibility of key user journeys that represent the breadth of content across our website on a regular basis against WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.2 AA standards.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us.

Read tips on contacting organisation about inaccessible websites.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

If you are in Northern Ireland and are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, you can contact the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland who are responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland

Technical information about this application's accessibility 

University College London is committed to making this application accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This application is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Sending functionality 

When using the sending functionality within DocuSign, the following two points can lead to a confusing user journey for anyone who relies upon a screen reader, which each fail WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A).:

  • Font icons (such as the status icons in the Manage Inbox) lack proper alternative text – assistive technologies may announce the font character instead. 
  • Decorative font icons (such as the key icon in the Document details page) are not hidden from assistive technologies, which may also announce the font character instead. 

The below can cause unnecessary or confusing information to be provided to users of assistive technologies such as screen readers. The following three points fail WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A):

  • The heading structure is not logical on some pages.
  • Some text is incorrectly marked up as a structural heading.
  • One of the date fields does not correctly expose errors to assistive technologies.

The calendar widget on the manage section is not keyboard operable. However, alternatively, the date can be directly entered into the date field. Additionally when navigating through the site using a keyboard the options under ‘New’ are not accessible. This limits the functionality of the site for users who rely on keyboard only navigation. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A).

The checkboxes on the Template Sharing dialog are missing labels. This can cause information to be missed by users who rely upon screen reader technology. This fails WCAG 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (A).

The following two issues fail WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A):

  • Dynamic filter results are not announced to screen reader users.
  • Some calendar widgets are not using appropriate roles.

Signing functionality

In responsive view of the site, two informative images do not have any alternative text (e.g., “Open in a new tab”). This fails WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A).

The following two points can cause users who rely upon screen readers to experience a confusing site journey, and therefore fail WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A):

  • On two pages, one heading element has been left empty without content (the SMS and Phone Authentication pages).
  • In the comments functionality, a visible list of items is not identified as a list within the underlying code.

When the mobile friendly toggle button is activated, the focus is not managed and is placed before the button itself. Therefore adding an additional repeated tab stop for keyboard users to navigate. This fails WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order (A).

On the SMS Authentication page there are elements nested in others in a way that is not permitted by the specification. This can cause site navigation to be confusing for users who rely on assistive technology. This fails WCAG 4.1.1 Parsing (A).

In the responsive view opt-out modal dialog is missing dialog roles and attributes that allow screen reader users to understand the purpose of the content. This fails 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A).

While the majority of the web application can be resized to a width of 320 CSS pixels / a height of 256 CSS pixels without loss of content or functionality, and without requiring scrolling in two dimensions, there are exceptions. These include the Phone and SMS authentication pages. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA).

While the majority of additional content that appears on hover or focus is dismissible, hoverable and persistent, tooltips that appear on hover and focus in the comments section and in the signed document page are persistent. However it is not possible to hover over the tooltip itself using the mouse. This fails WCAG 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA).

If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Reporting accessibility problems with this website’ section of this statement.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

This section covers issues that we do not need to fix right now. The law calls these exemptions.

Third-party content

Our websites contain third-party content. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content, but we make best endeavours to work with the third-party to improve its accessibility. This may include:

  • links to non-UCL websites
  • content/functionality on our website
  • content hosted on other websites, such as social media sites.

To help accessibility compliance across the sector, University College London supports searchBOX, a centralised, independent directory of third-party accessibility information. 

searchBOX catalogues the contact information and accessibility statements of third-party suppliers, enables the sharing of community-generated accessibility statements, and allows users to map their supplier ecosystem. 

Users can access third-party accessibility statements using the free searchBOX Finder service. 

University College London encourages all our partners and suppliers to support this effort by ensuring that their accessibility information is included in the searchBOX directory. 

Our testing processes

We tested the application using a combination of manual and automated checks alongside reference to the existing conformance reports provided by DocuSign. If you find an issue we have not yet identified, you can report it to us. We’ll pass this information to the website owner who will review the issue, make sure it is included in our plan to fix issues and add it into the accessibility statement when it is next updated.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 14 February 2023. It was last reviewed on 14 February 2023. This application was last tested in 14 September 2020. The test was carried out by DocuSign, with additional testing completed by UCL..

This statement was written using DocuSign’s own VPATs, which can be found at the following link: DocuSign Blog on making DocuSign Accessible.

DocuSign eSignature Sending Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT): DocuSign Sending VPAT.

DocuSign eSignature Signing Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT): DocuSign Signing VPAT.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

UCL is working with DocuSign to address any issues found.