Web Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the IHREC website. IHREC intends for its site to be used by as many users as possible (including assistive technology users) and we are working towards an accessible design that ensures this outcome, in accordance with European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020.

We have engaged with our external accessibility partner InterAccess who have carried out a full independent accessibility audit of the IHREC website, as well as receiving training on how to improve our downloadable documents that are available via the website.

This is to assess our conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG) AA standard. We have reviewed and implemented the findings of the last audit from 2022. We have a roadmap in place to ensure compliance and achieve a high standard of accessibility.

Compliance status

The IHREC website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 AA standard. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard. The High priority accessibility issues can be seen in the list below, along with a brief explanation of their user impact and the relevant WCAG success criteria (SC):

  • There is no visible focus indicator in the One Trust Cookie modal. For keyboard only users with low vision or colour-blindness it can be difficult to see what has active focus. WCAG SC: 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.
  • Your Rights: PDF links for other languages are unlabelled. There are many graphics used as links to pages containing downloadable PDFs that are missing alternate text (Your Rights) WCAG SC: 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.
  • Focused controls fail colour contrast requirements with white text on grey Fail: WCAG SC 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum) (Level AA)
  • Freedom of Information Scheme: Sortable data tables are difficult to understand and use Fail: WCAG SC 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A)
  • Our Work: CAT Factsheets cannot be read by screen readers Fail: WCAG SC 1.1.1 Non-Text Content (Level A)
  • Interactive table elements have no visible focus outline Fail: WCAG SC 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA)

Accessible alternatives

If you need information on this website in an alternative format like accessible PDF, large print or braille, you can contact:

  • Linda Coyne
  • IHREC Digital Communications
  • Email Linda.Coyne@ihrec.ie
  • Call +353 (0)1 859 2605

We will do our best to accommodate your request.

Accessibility feedback and contact information

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 contact the IHREC Digital Communications Team.

Issues can be reported by email, phone or post to the relevant team members below:

Linda Coyne

IHREC Digital Communications

Email Linda.Coyne@ihrec.ie

Call +353 (0)1 859 2605

Postal Address: IHREC, 16 – 22 Green Street, Dublin 7, D07 CR20

 

Karen Joynt

IHREC Digital Communications Manager

Email Karen.Joynt@ihrec.ie

Call +353 (0)1 859 2605

Postal Address: IHREC, 16 – 22 Green Street, Dublin 7, D07 CR20

Alternatively, feedback can be submitted at any time using the Leave Feedback button located at the bottom of every webpage.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are currently working towards fixing our non-compliant content and we will revise this Accessibility Statement once improvements have been made.

We fixed issues that were reported in the accessibility audit by InterAccess such as:

  • Many Pages: PDF and image links as images with null alts Fail: WCAG SC 1.1.1 Non-Text Content (Level A)
  • Keyboard Navigation/Screen Readers: Cookie Preference Center: Incorrect focus behaviour Fail: WCAG SC 2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A)
  • Screen Readers: Public Consultation: Image links announce in meaningless way Fail: WCAG SC 1.1.1 Non-Text Content (Level A)
  • (Keyboard) Focused controls fail colour contrast requirements with white text on grey Fail: WCAG SC 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum) (Level AA)
  • Your Rights: Auto-playing gif cannot be paused or stopped and has no alternative text Fail: WCAG SC 1.1.1 Non-Text Content (Level A) Fail: WCAG SC 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A)

We have also recently undergone:

  • Further training for staff on the creation of accessible downloadable documents such as PDFs
  • Ongoing improvements to the accessibility of our annual reports.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared in Oct 2023. It was last reviewed on Oct 25th 2023.