Mission
This website is run by the University of London. Our mission is to ensure that our services are accessible to all. We also respect individual choice and strive to create an inclusive, flexible and supportive environment which recognises the diversity of every individual. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website and understand our content.
For example, that means you should be able to:
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard;
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen;
- 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);
- use a variety of plugins and browsers features (see below);
- navigate through consistent and responsive page layouts.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. AbilityNet is a UK charity that exists to change the lives of disabled people by helping them to use digital technology at work, at home or in education.
For programmes provided by University of London, reasonable steps are taken to ensure that learning content, including content delivered via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), is accessible to all students in order to comply with Chapter 2 of the Equality Act 2010.
This statement highlights the University of London and Member Institutions' commitment to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 by aiming to meet the requirements listed in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 which are relevant to our VLE content.
How accessible is this website
We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:
- some text won't reflow in a single column when you change the size of the browser window;
- you can't modify the line height or spacing of text;
- most older PDF documents aren't fully accessible to screen reader software;
- Some videos including live streams don't have captions;
We are committed to updating content in accordance with the guidelines set out by the WCAG 2.1 AAA standard. Our VLE Inclusive Practice Policy and VLE Inclusive Practice Guide, provide further details and a reference point on how we aim to achieve good practice relevant to VLE provision for our programmes.
What to do if you can't access parts of this website
We've designed our website and content to be as accessible as possible by providing options to customise the dashboard and download content in a format that best suits your needs. If you still experience barriers to accessing content, you can contact the Student Advice Centre to discuss your requirements. We will advise you on the support available to you and make every reasonable effort to support you through your studies.
You can contact the Student Advice Centre via the helpdesk https://my.london.ac.uk or via the telephone +44 (0)20 7862 8000.
We'll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.
Please note that our offices are wheelchair accessible. If you are visiting the University and require assistance, please contact the Student Advice Centre in advance of your visit.
Student Advice CentreUniversity of London
Stewart House
32, Russell Square
London WC1B 5DN
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 accessibility requirements, please contact the University of London's Student Advice Centre, as above.
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
The University of London is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Moodle is currently the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) used for delivery of online teaching content for all our programmes. Moodle's own statement on accessibility indicates they conform to the following relevant standards: WCAG 2.0, ATAG 2.0, ARIA 1. and Section 508 (US). However, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty whether Moodle or any site based on Moodle is absolutely accessible or not. Accessibility is not a state, it is a process of continuous improvement in response to users and the wider technical environment.
This website is 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:
Images
- Not all images contain text alternatives that serve the equivalent purpose.
- Text equivalents are not always available for images or graphics in the form of Alt text.
- Images are not always placed in a logical order within text, meaning screen readers may not pick it up.
- Where information is displayed in visual format, there may not be enough contrast between foreground and background so users of all visual abilities can discern differences.
Text
- Standard text formatting conventions for headings, paragraphs, lists, tables are not consistently adhered to when adding text via a text editor.
- Where text has been copied and pasted and formatting has not been stripped from the original source, this can impact text-to-speech technology by adding extra formatting.
- Correct sequencing of content through the use fo appropriate formatting, is not consistently applied.
Hyperlinks
- Some links may not be visually evident and use of colour alone must not be used to indicate links e.g. links are underlined
- Not all hyperlinks point to descriptive text which informs the user of the links purpose or location.
Documents
- Not all documents use standard text formatting conventions for headings, paragraphs, lists and tables. Some of our older PDF documents may not be fully tagged or marked up to be accessible to a screen reader.
- Some documents are scanned images, which are not accessible in full using text-to-speech technology, unless the same information is conveyed in an alternative format (such as audio)
- Not all images in documents follow the same accessibility requirements for images in the VLE.
- Not all names of documents are descriptive and may not clearly identify documents without confusing with other documents on the VLE.
Video and audio
- Some of our older content does not have provide a text alternative such as transcripts.
- Some videos are not offered in different resolutions, allowing users the choice of watching the smaller, lower resolution version.
- Most audio content does not provide closed captions.
- Some audio content quality is not as good as it could be.
- Where content contains flashing images, clear warnings do not play on screen before content starts playing.
Third Party Content
Where third-party content is accessed from the VLE and is part of the teaching and learning content, we ensure that the provider has an accessibility policy at least equivalent to the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard. Additionally, accessibility is included as part of the contract evaluation and is built into regular contract reviews.
Disproportionate burden
A large quantity of our existing content has not been updated and to do so would be a disproportionate burden. As content is updated it will be made accessible.
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Our website also archives content that we have produced over the last few years. We cannot guarantee the accessibility of this archived content and cannot guarantee it will be converted. However, if you find any accessibility problems, please contact the Student Advice Centre, per the contact information above.
How we tested this website
We use accessibility scanning software to report on any accessibility issues with the current content and to provide alternative formats for our website users.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
We are conducting an audit of our site to help us determine content that is not completely accessible.
As content is updated it will be reviewed and put through the necessary accessibility checks using our VLE software, to ensure it is compliant.
We aim to conform to good practice by making use of software in the VLE that provides content in alternative formats to meet individual user requirements.