Information Services

Accessibility Statement for DiscoverEd

Website accessibility statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

DiscoverEd is a service hosted by the University of Edinburgh Library on behalf of the University of Edinburgh.  DiscoverEd is the Library's discovery service.  It has many functions, including the ability to search the Library’s collections:  these include books, e-books, journals, articles, databases and more.   DiscoverEd is provided using a third-party software application, Primo by Ex Libris, which the Library has customised where required to meet the University’s needs.  Ex Libris have published information on the accessibility of Primo ExLibris Primo accessibility information.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use DiscoverEd. For example, this means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • experience no time limits to content
  • 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

Customising the website

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

AbilityNet - My computer my way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website to make it easier to read and navigate.

Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

If you are a member of the University staff or a student you can use the free Sensus Access accessible document conversion service.

SenusAccess Information

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • some parts may not be fully compatible with screen readers or because of the complex nature of the site be difficult to navigate by screen reader without familiarisation sessions
  • you may not be able to access all content by using the keyboard alone
  • sometimes it can be hard to tell where you have navigated to by keyboard
  • some colour contrasts do not meet recommended guidance
  • some non-text content does not have text alternatives
  • there are some slow scrolling items that a user cannot pause
  • there is some use of block capitals
  • some links open new windows without warning the user

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, audio recording or braille please contact the website team by contacting us:

By using the IS Helpline online contact form

IS Helpline contact form

Or phoning

+44 (0)131 651 5151

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements please let us know by contacting:

By using the IS Helpline online contact form

IS Helpline contact form

Or phoning

+44 (0)131 651 5151

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly.

Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:

Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website

Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language

British Sign Language service

British Sign Language Scotland runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates from 8am to 12 midnight, 7 days a week. 

British Sign Language Scotland service details

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

When an issue is identified with DiscoverEd we will seek to resolve the issue in-house and where this is not possible we will liaise with the system provider to highlight the issue and seek a solution. While investigation is underway, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no disabled user is disadvantaged

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The full guidelines are available at:

 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1

Non-accessible content

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

Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations

The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria:

  • Information is conveyed as an image of text rather than as text itself so that it's not compatible with screen readers and other assistive technology

  • There may not be sufficient colour contrast between font and background colours especially where the text size is very small.

  • Visual information to identify user interface components, such as keyboard focus, do not always have a sufficient contrast ratio

  • Some content cannot be presented without loss of information when magnified to the maximum browser level

Unless specified otherwise, wherever possible a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place by September 2020 where the issues are within our control.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix. 

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of, the public sector body

The application links to many PDF’s documents which may not meet accessibility standards – however these are out with our control and under the control of a third party.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested in October 2019. The website was tested by the University of Edinburgh’s Disability Information Officer on a PC using Internet Explorer (11.0.9600.19236) browser and also using the automated Webaim WAVE tool. Internet Explorer was chosen as the browser due to it being the most commonly used browser by disabled people as shown in the government survey: the Government Assistive Technology Browser Survey

We tested:

  • Spellcheck functionality
  • Data validation
  • Scaling using different screen resolutions
  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour etc.)
  • Keyboard navigation
  • Warning of links opening in a new tab or window
  • Information conveyed in colour or sound only
  • Flashing or scrolling text
  • Operability if Javascript is disabled
  • Use with screen reading software (eg. JAWS)
  • Assistive Software such as TextHelp Read and Write, and Zoomtext
  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content
  • Time limits

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to work with our in house developers and the external host supplier to address these issues and deliver a solution or suitable workaround and correct issues directly where they are under our control. We will raise accessibility as a significant issue with Ex Libris and encourage system development in line with UK legal responsibilities.

We will continue to monitor system and hosted journal accessibility and will carry out further accessibility testing if significant changes are made to the user interface or if a service user raises an issue. To plan to resolve the issues that are within our control by September 2020.

Due to the third-party software nature of the system in use it may not be possible to resolve all accessibility issues. If this is the case, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged.

Information Services and accessibility

Information Services (IS) has further information on accessibility including assistive technology, creating accessible documents, and services IS provides for disabled users.

Assistive technology, creating accessible documents, and services IS provides for disabled users

 

This statement was prepared on 21st October 2019. It was last updated on 18th June 2020