Accessibility statement for psr.org.uk
This statement explains the approach the Payment Systems Regulator takes on accessibility of the psr.org.uk website and explains how to request content in accessible formats and report issues.
What disabled users can do
This website is run by The Payment Systems Regulator. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. We strive to make the text on the website clear and simple to understand.
Our website users should be able to:
- Zoom in up to 200% without problems
- 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 (such as Jaws)
- Navigate most of the website using speech and other assistive technology built into computer and smartphone operating systems
We also strive to make the website text as easy as possible to understand.
Our website is built on the Umbraco content management system and we use the latest coding practices to ensure clear design and accessibility compliance.
Documents on our website are published in PDF format. To access them you need Adobe Acrobat Reader software which is available free of charge from the Adobe website.
If you have a disability, AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use. The BBC’s My Web My Way also provides detailed information on how to change browser and computer settings to suit you.
How accessible this website is
We aim to review accessibility on an annual basis and strive to address any known issues as well as provide further improvements where possible.
We work with our staff responsible for writing content for the website, to help them write clearly and produce more accessible content.
However, we know some parts of this website are not fully accessible.
- some images do not have good alternative text
- some PDF documents are not fully accessible
- some forms are in PDF format instead of web forms
- you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
- the “Share this” tool doesn't meet required contrast levels
We will update the statement as issues are fixed.
How to request content in an accessible format
If you need information on this website in a different format please email contactus@psr.org.uk and tell us:
- The web address (URL) of the content that you need
- Your name and email address
- The type of format that you need – for example large print, braille or audio
How to provide feedback or report an issue
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, then we welcome your feedback. Please contact us directly in the first instance by sending an email to contactus@psr.org.uk
Enforcement procedure
If you have already contacted us at contactus@psr.org.uk and you are not satisfied with the response you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service.
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’).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The PSR is committed to making its website psr.org.uk 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 version 2.1 AA standard.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- The “Share this” sharing tool doesn't fully meet the required contrast levels. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum). We will fix this by the end of 2023.
- When selecting a user interface component with the keyboard, the focus indicator is sometimes obscured. Ensure focus is not fully obscured - WCAG 2.2 AA 2.4.12. We aim to rectify this by the end of 2023.
- There is no way to skip the repeated content in the page header, for example a ‘skip to main content’ option. Bypass blocks - WCAG 2.1 A 2.4.1. We aim to rectify this by the end of 2023.
- Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1. We aim to include these by the end of 2023.
- Some PDFs are not fully accessible. Due to the scale of the remediation work - there are over 1,100 PDFs on the PSR website - we are undertaking this work strategically in phases, with a view to make the most impact, in terms of accessibility, to the most important documents. After consultation with an accessibility expert, we plan to focus on fixing the following three PDF accessibility issues for maximum impact in the short term.
- Ensure PDFs have a title WCAG 2.0 2.4.2 A
- Ensure the first heading in a PDF is a H1 WCAG 2.0 1.3.1
- Specify headings for every PDF WCAG 2.0 1.3.1
- Some forms are in PDF format, we aim to have these converted to web forms, a more accessible format for forms which users have to fill out. We aim to convert these by the end of March 2024.
- There are instances where text on links (particularly button links) are generic and lack context. This is because many publication titles are too long to accommodate within the button or allocated space. Ensure links explain their purpose - WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.4. We will explore solutions for this in 2023.
Our aim is to meet WCAG guidelines to AA standards, therefore the following Interactive control WCAG 2.1 2.5.8 AAA requirement:
- In some cases, interactive controls could be made larger. Some of these are in the footer area, so can be fixed site-wide. Aim for large interactive controls - WCAG 2.1 AAA 2.5.5. We will review and increase the size of offending controls by the end of 2023.
Has been replaced with the WCAG 2.1 2.5.8 Target size minimum AA requirement:
- Ensure all interactive targets are at least 24x24 pixels in size. WCAG 2.1 2.5.8 AA Target size minimum. We aim to fix offending controls by the end of 2023.
Disproportionate burden
Not applicable.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
The following accessibility problems fall outside the scope of the accessibility regulations.
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.
Content can be scaled up to 200% without adverse effects. WCAG 2.0 Resize text 1.4.4 - content satisfies the success criterion if it can be scaled up to 200%, that is, up to twice the width and height.
Testing has been focused within scope of the accessibility regulations, so there are no other known issues outside of the regulations that we are aware of.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are fixing the issues for each area listed above. We will update this page when issues are fixed.
We include accessibility acceptance criteria when developing new components.
Since 2022-23 we have fixed the following previously known issues.
The Civic cookie compliance tool is not keyboard accessible. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (keyboard).
- The cookie compliance tool is now accessible via the keyboard by using the Tab key.
Some aria-labels and WAI-ARIA roles may be incorrect or not as useful as they could be.
- Sitewide ARIA role implementation has been reviewed and corrected to be useful.
The brand colour palette doesn't fully meet the required contrast levels in its application of some areas of the site.
- This was in relation to the navigation bar being transparent and the link text contrast being low against some header images. Since the navigation was redesigned with a white background all navigation link text now meets the minimum contrast ratio for its font size of 3.5:1.
Embedded video iframe elements are missing title attributes.
- Embedded Video iframe elements now have title attributes.
Tabbing index. Some sections of content have generated tab indexes which introduce an initial tab between expected behaviours.
- Tabbing index has been fixed to meet expected behaviours.
In 2022 we set up continuous comprehensive accessibility monitoring using the Silktide web governance platform and plan to allocate more time to addressing issues in 2023.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was originally prepared on 17th June 2021. The website was most recently re-tested on 1 November and the statement updated on 7 November 2023.
Our websites are currently being tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level A and level AA standards.
Since the previous statement was prepared the website is now continuously monitored by the web accessibility testing platform Silktide, which performs over a hundred accessibility checks every week. There are some assisted checks we aim to test on a yearly basis.