Accessibility statement

This statement applies to content published on Transfer Digital Records (TDR) only.

TDR is run by the Digital Archiving department at The National Archives. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:

• zoom in up to 300% without problems
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver

The website text has been made as simple to understand as possible and tested with real users.

How accessible this website is

In its current iteration, the vast majority of TDR fully meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards.

Parts of this website that are not fully accessible include:

• some heading elements are not consistent
• some images do not have image descriptions
• some buttons are not correctly identified
• some error messages are not sufficient to identify or rectify errors
• some custom elements are inaccessible for assistive technologies

As part of ongoing development, design iterations incorporate a progressive enhancement approach and TDR is continuously tested to ensure that it meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards wherever possible.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format:

Email: tdr@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Write to:

Digital Selection and Transfer team c/o Digital Archiving Department The National Archives Bessant Drive Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU

In your message, include:

• the web address (URL) of the content
• your name and email address or contact details
• the format you need - for example, plain text, braille, BSL, large print or audio CD

Your request will be considered, and you will be contacted within 30 days with the outcome of the request.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think that accessibility requirements are not being met, contact us

Enforcement procedure

If you contact us with a complaint and you are not happy with our response, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

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 on this website’s accessibility

The National Archives is committed to making its websites 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

1. Some non-text content does not have a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose for screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text content) and 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)).
2. Some pages titles are non-descriptive This may make it difficult for users to orient themselves and find the right content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
3. Some error handling is not sufficient to enable users to identify the error or what is required to rectify the issue. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order).
4. Some information conveyed through the JavaScript dialog box cannot be read out to screen read users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.3 (Status Messages).
5. Some pages have two h1 headings which creates an illogical structure. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
6. On one page the purpose of the link is unclear for screen reader users. This fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose).
7. Some custom elements are inaccessible for users of assistive technologies and key-board-only users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 2.1.1 (Keyboard) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value).
8. Some elements containing text fail to meet guidelines for contrast minimum. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum))
9. Information on the add metadata page appears truncated when reflow settings are applied. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 (Reflow)

All issues above are being addressed at the earliest opportunity.

How this website was tested

The accessibility testing for TDR covers the successful and unsuccessful journey a user would take to complete a transfer of records to The National Archives.

User journeys for both the ‘standard’ government transferring body user and the 'judgments' courts and tribunals user were included.

The service was assessed against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1.

Testing was conducted by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) Limited between 6th March to 21st March 2023.

DAC Testing Procedure involved a team of experienced auditors and analysts, many of whom are disabled individuals and users of adaptive technology. The combination of subjective pan-disability user feedback and comprehensive technical auditing was used to measure how the service performs technically and practically, thereby offering an added dimension to test results over other methods.

Manual accessibility user testing was conducted by a team of disabled individuals, using a range of adaptive technologies (hardware and software designed to facilitate the use of computers by people with disabilities). This could include:

• NVDA: a screen reader and application used by those who are blind.
• ZoomText: a magnification application used by those with low vision.
• JAWS: a screen reader used by blind people to access pages.
• Dragon Naturally Speaking: voice activated software used by those that do not use a conventional input device such as a keyboard or mouse.
• Switch Access: used by those with severe mobility impairments to input commands to a computer.
• Keyboard Only: some users with mobility impairments have difficulty making precise movements required by pointing devices such as a mouse; therefore, a keyboard is used as the exclusive input device.
• Readability: Manual checks were made to assess the suitability of a page for those with colour blindness and dyslexia.
• Deaf/Hard of hearing: Manual checks were made to assess the suitability of a page for those with hearing impairments.
• Learning difficulties: Manual checks were made to assess the suitability of a page for those with learning difficulties.
• Reflow: tests with screen size of 1280 x 1024px, at 400% browser magnification
• Text Spacing: tests with larger Line height, and larger Paragraph, Word and Letter spacing.

Technical auditing involved the experienced application of technical auditing and standards compliance assessment tools.

You can read the full accessibility test report here DAC Accessibility Report WCAG 2.1 - National Archives Data Transfer - 21-03-23 - Final.pdf

What we are doing to improve accessibility

As TDR continues to be developed, adherence to WCAG 2.1 A and AA standards is maintained throughout. To improve the accessibility of the service, work undertaken includes:

• recruiting users with accessibility needs as part of our user research and user testing participant pool
• working with a specialist accessibility agency to test with users of assistive technology
• conducting a full accessibility audit.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 23 February 2023. It was last reviewed on 24 March 2023.

This website was last tested on 08 March 2023. This test was carried out by Digital Accessibility Centre Limited.