Accessible documents policy
Accessible documents policy at the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA)
Accessible documents at ACOBA
This explains how accessible the documents ACOBA publishes on 188体育 are. It covers formats such as PDF鈥檚, Spreadsheets and Word documents. It does not cover other content published on 188体育 as HTML: the main 188体育 accessibility statement covers this.
Using our documents
ACOBA publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF, Open Standards Format, MS Excel and MS Word.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:
-
write in plain English
-
tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they鈥檙e there for
-
avoid using tables, except when we鈥檙e presenting data
-
provide an HTML option where possible
How accessible our documents are
Documents you need to download or fill in to access our services should be accessible. However, we know that some of our older transparency documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:
-
are photocopies and are not marked up in a way that allows screen reader users to understand them
-
are not tagged up properly - for example, they do not contain proper headings
This mostly applies to our corporate reports and transparency documents. But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.
What to do if you cannot use one of our documents
If you need a document we鈥檝e published in a different format:
- email [email protected]
- call 0300 271 0839
We鈥檒l consider the request and get back to you in 7 days.
Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents
We鈥檙e always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we鈥檙e not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: [email protected]
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 鈥榓ccessibility regulations鈥�). If you鈥檙e not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the .
Technical information about the accessibility of our documents
ACOBA is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
The documents ACOBA publishes are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Content that鈥檚 not within the scope of the accessibility regulations:
-
Our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they鈥檙e accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value). Any new PDFs or MS Word documents we publish will meet these accessibility standards and use headings.
-
The application form exists only in MS Word and Open Standards Format. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
How we tested our documents
We last tested a sample of our documents on 21 September 2020. The test was carried out by ACOBA.
We tested all documents and gov.uk pages required to access our service (such as guidance, rules, application form and web main pages); and a sample of our transparency documents, communications and corporate information.
What we鈥檙e doing to improve accessibility
We have carried out a 鈥榙isproportionate burden鈥� assessment and decided that making all of our older transparency documents accessible would be a disproportionate burden for the organisation. However, we are ensuring that all authors of documents that we publish externally are aware of the requirements to create accessible documents. We are keeping this under reviewing, including consideration on whether we can provide a full text alternative to the applications form.
This page was prepared on 21 September 2020.
It was last updated on 21 September 2020.