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CLOSER accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to www.closer.ac.uk. This website is run by CLOSER, the home of longitudinal research.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts.
  • zoom in up to 300% 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.
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

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.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • you cannot navigate all of our website using a keyboard and it's not always obvious where you are on the page.
  • some of the headings are not properly structured.

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 us if there is a process in place that will acknowledge your contact, tell you who is dealing with it and give you a timescale by which you can expect a reply.

We aim to respond to all contacts within 10 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) 2.1 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 organisations 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).

Technical information about this website's accessibility 

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

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 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

  • The keyboard focus indicator is not clearly visible and needs to be made more distinctive. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus visible (AA). We have notified our developers of this issue and they aim to resolve it as soon as there is capacity to do so.
  • When navigating using a keyboard, the tab key skips the burger menu (which appears on a 175% zoom and above). This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A) and WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA).
  • Some headings are not properly structured on the home page (for example, the introductory text is styled as a heading and the blogs are missing a heading). This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and relationships (A). We cannot insert additional headings to the home page without commissioning a re-design of the page. We will ensure that when we commission the next re-design of the CLOSER website or home page, the designs will incorporate a compliant heading structure. We hope to do this within the next 12-18 months.
  • Some images are missing alternative text, such as our social media icons. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA 1.1.1 Non-text content. We have notified our developers and they aim to add this alternative text as soon as there is capacity to do so.
  • Some acronyms are only displayed alongside the full title within an image on the Explore the studies page. The alternative text does not include the acronym. This fails WCAG 2.1 AA 1.1.1 Non-text content. We have notified our developers and they aim to add the acronym alongside the full title within the body text as soon as there is capacity to do so.
  • A number of hyperlinks throughout the website do not meet colour contrast requirements. This fails WCAG 2.1 1.4.3 contrast (minimum) AA. We have notified our developers who will resolve this as a matter of priority within the next two months.
  • Our newsletter page does not have appropriate instructions within the accordions. We have notified our developers and they will see whether this is something that can be resolved in the current CMS.
  • You cannot navigate all parts of the website with a keyboard. For example. the newsletter page drop-down lists can not be activated without a mouse. This fails WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (A). We have notified our developers and they aim to resolve this as soon as there is capacity to do so.
  • Some table headers are not marked. This fails WCAG 1.3.1 Info and relationships (A). We have notified our developers and they aim to resolve this as soon as there is capacity to do so.
  • Our charts on the Our Changing Society section present complex data that cannot be adequately described in a concise manner using alternative text. The current alternative text gives an overview of what the chart is about and the general trend. However, the detail is of relevance to readers which would be too lengthy for people using assistive technologies such as screen readers. We are planning to create a web page that displays the complex data in a table that can be navigated using screen readers. We plan to implement this within three months.
  • Some of our older PDFs, such as previous presentations at events or conferences, may not be fully accessible. We commissioned an external designer to create a suite of accessible Word, PowerPoint and InDesign templates for staff and also created guidance for the team to use to make their content more accessible, so new documents should meet accessibility requirements. The Communications team is also working through older documents to update and fix accessibility issues when identified, prioritising those that are more essential to providing our services, subject to capacity.

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.

PDFs and other documents

Some of our older PDFs and Word documents may not be fully accessible. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. We commissioned an external designer to create a suite of accessible Word, PowerPoint and InDesign templates and the Communications team is working through older documents to update and fix accessibility issues when identified, prioritising those that are more essential to providing our services, subject to capacity.

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

The test was conducted using a combination of manual checks, the WAVE Accessibility plug-in and other accessibility tools, such as HeadingsMap.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 18 August 2023. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2023. The test was carried out by the CLOSER Communications team with assistance from UCL's Digital Accessibility team.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

CLOSER are working to fix or provide alternatives for all issues that we are made aware of and as identified by our periodic internal testing and auditing processes.