Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk website.

This website is run by North Ayrshire Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. You should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We also aim to make the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

North Ayrshire Council 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 and the exemptions listed below.

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

1. Our site uses a third-party chatbot developed by Netcall. The North Ayrshire Council logo on the chatbot does not have a suitable image description. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in this image. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
2. On the Netcall chatbot, buttons with non-textual content do not have a suitable text alternative. This fails WCAG 2.2. success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
3. Online Forms and the Customer Portal are used as part of MyNAC. Some forms have a map function which fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.2.2 (On Input) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
4. On some forms, the focus order moves from header to footer and then to main content. This fails WCAG 2.2. success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order).
5. On some forms, heading elements are not in sequential order (1.3.1. Info and Relationships).
6. On some forms, breadcrumb links are distinguished only by colour. This fails WCAG 2.2. success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Colour).

Many documents are in non-HTML formats, for example PDF and Microsoft Word. They are not accessible in many ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

1. The site uses some maps which are exempt from accessibility regulations.

If you need information on this website in a different format like translation, large print, audio recording or braille, please request directly from the appropriate service, or via Customer Services.

The service will consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible. Please allow 10 working days.

We are continuing to review PDF and Word documents, with an aim to make 290 accessible by September 2025. We have also created 82 accessible HTML documents which have replaced inaccessible PDFs. This figure will increase as work progresses and there will be a quarterly report on this figure.

We have contacted Netcall, our supplier and are awaiting a response for accessibility fixes relating to the chatbot widget.

This statement was prepared on 13 September 2024. It was last reviewed on 5 November 2024.

This website is currently being tested against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. This test of a representative sample of pages is being carried out by MIXD. A secondary audit will take place on the 7 November 2024.

We also used findings from our own testing when preparing this accessibility statement. Testing methods included using screen readers and accessibility tools, such as Siteimprove, Lighthouse, Wave and Axe DevTools.

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).