Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Adjacent image and text links for the same resource
Several text links and images go to the same resource. This can be confusing and frustrating for screen reader users having to access each link for the same resource. This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 2.4.4 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Colour alone used to convey information, low text colour and low graphics contrast
Colour alone is used to convey information on charts and graphs. Non-sighted users and users with certain visual impairments will not be able to perceive the information. The underlying data is provided wherever possible. This issue falls under the 1.3.1 (A), 1.4.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
There are several instances in charts and graphs where there is not enough contrast between foreground text and background colours, they fall below the minimum ratio (3:1). User interface graphic components with low contrast are more difficult to read, identify and interact with for users with visual impairments. This issue falls under the 1.4.3 (AA), 1.4.11 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Content requires scrolling when magnified to 400% or greater
In the museum navigation, the menu button overlaps with the logo when the page is magnified to 400% using browser zoom functionality. This issue falls under the 1.4.10 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Empty buttons
There are instances in the site search where buttons do not contain content (empty). Buttons that do not contain content cannot be understood by assistive technology. This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 2.4.4 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Error messages do not help users correct their errors
We use third-party providers for the “search” page and the subscribe to emails form. The error message for this input field does not provide enough information to help users correct the error(s). As we don’t have direct control on these forms we are unable to make any necessary changes. We have communicated this issue to the providers who may be able to fix it at a future date.
This issue falls under the 3.3.1 (A), 3.3.3 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Form errors not conveyed to assistive technology
Error message on pop-up forms in the Explainer pages is not announced by assistive technology. Screen reader users will find it difficult to read error messages and correct their mistakes. This issue falls under the 3.3.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s). We use third party form on these pages, so we do not have direct control over this element. We are planning to replace this with an alternative form that is WCAG 2.1 compliant.
Footnotes inaccessible to assistive technology
In several historical pages with charts, the relationship between the text/symbol and the footnote is not perceivable to assistive technology. This falls under the 1.3.1 (A), 4.1.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Generic link name
In several historical pages, there are instances where generic link text was used. These are not descriptive and do not provide the user with clear information about where the link will take them. This issue falls under the 2.4.4 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Household Inflation Calculator component introduces accessibility challenges
On the ‘What we are doing about the rising cost of living’ page, we have added an embedded component created by ons.gov.uk. As a result we don’t have control on this component, and are unable to make the necessary changes.
This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 1.3.1 (A), 1.4.3 (A), 1.4.10 (AA), 1.4.11 (AA), 1.4.12 (AA), 2.1.1 (A), 2.4.6 (AA), 3.3.1 (A), 3.3.2 (A), 4.1.2 (A), 4.1.3 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Images – text alternative redundant, too long or missing
Some complex images lack alternative text. These include complex charts and graphs. Screen-reader users will not be able to understand the content, but the underlying data is provided wherever possible.
In other instances, screen reader users may find the alternative text long or redundant, making it time consuming to read and understand.
This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 1.4.5 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Inaccessible embedded interactive presentation elements
There is embedded third-party Tableau content that consists of numerous focusable elements. These are not reachable and operable via the keyboard. Keyboard and screen-reader users will not be able to use them. This issue falls under many WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and cannot be fixed by us.
There are embedded third-party Google Arts & Culture modal dialogs that are not announced to assistive technologies. Keyboard users may find it difficult to navigate and access the content within the modal dialogs. This issue falls under the 2.1.1 (A), 2.4.3 (A). 4.1.3 (AA) violation(s) and cannot be fixed by us.
Some image captions within the embedded Google Arts & Culture slides do not have enough contrast between foreground text and background colours. This issue falls under the 1.4.3 (AA) violation(s) and cannot be fixed by us.
Illogical heading structure
Some pages across the site do not follow a logical order with missing heading levels. Screen reader users use the heading structure to navigate and understand the page content. With an illogical heading structure, they will find this more difficult. This issue falls under the, 1.3.1 (A), 2.4.6 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Illogical keyboard focus order
There are instances where keyboard focus does not follow a logical order. Some of the videos on the page receive focus multiple times, causing the navigation to loop. As we use YouTube and Vimeo video player we do not have direct control over these elements, therefore we are unable to make any necessary changes.
The focus does not follow a logical order for some in-page links. When activating any of the links under the “on this page” list, the focus does not move to the target location on the page. Keyboard only users may find navigating the page more difficult as navigating to an in-page link does not continue the tab order as expected.
On the Our Programmes page, when activating the “Show more” buttons, the focus does not always move to the newly expanded page content. Users will become disoriented if the focus order is not logical.
This issue falls under the 1.3.2 (A), 2.4.3 (A), 2.4.3 (A), 2.5.3 (A) violation(s).
Low/Missing focus indicator
There are a few instances where the indicator is difficult to perceive or is missing. Keyboard users may have difficulty navigating the page as they may not be able to see which element has focus. This issue falls under the 2.4.7 (AA), 1.4.1 (A).
Maths equations not correctly conveyed to assistive technology
In some instances, maths equations lack the correct mark-up so their meaning is not correctly conveyed to assistive technology. Screen-reader users may therefore have difficulty understanding the equations. This issue falls under the 1.3.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Links to non-HTML documents missing file type and file size information
Across the website, some links lack the file-type or file-size information. This issue falls under the 2.4.4 (A).
PDFs and non-HTML documents
Many documents may not be suitable for users of assistive technology in a number of ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure. This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 1.4.5 (A), 1.3.1 (A), 2.4.6 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
We provide a HTML version of our most popular publications and we are striving to make any new PDFs and Word documents we publish meet accessibility standards, but this may not always be possible. If you require an accessible version of any of the documents on our website, please let us know by emailing us at webmaster@bankofengland.co.uk.
Role and state of button is not conveyed to assistive technology
The state of “Share This Page” button in the Explainer pages is not exposed to the screen reader user. The screen reader user may be confused by the state of the button. This issue falls under the 4.1.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Tables with incorrect markup
Some tables lack row headers. Screen reader users can find this hard to navigate. This issue falls under the, 1.3.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Text content bleeds out of container when using text spacing
There are some instances where text content bleeds out of its container when the user overrides text spacing in their browser, or the text element does not respond to text spacing. Users with visual and/or cognitive impairments who need to use this feature on their browsers may have difficulty accessing the text elements due to the ineligibility of page elements when this feature is turned on. This issue falls under the 1.4.12 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Videos
Transcripts and auto-captions are provided for most videos on the website. However, not all videos have transcripts, captions or audio descriptions. We are reviewing these and resolving them based on order of priority. There are no transcripts, captions or audio descriptions for press-conference feeds. Alternative text or reasonable adjustments for videos can be provided upon request. This issue falls under the 1.1.1(A), 1.2.1 (A), 1.2.2 (A), 1.2.5 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Visually hidden element receives screen reader focus
There is an instance where an element that is visually hidden receives screen reader focus. Sighted users using a screen reader may be disorientated when accessing the page because they cannot follow the screen reader cursor on elements that are hidden. This issue falls under the 2.4.3 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
We are actively working to address these issues as part of an ongoing plan to improve the accessibility of this website.
