Accessibility statement
Accessibility statement for Beacon Living
This website is run by Gateshead Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen using your browser
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
- change the line height or spacing of text without causing loss of content
We've also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:
- Some links and buttons are identified by changes in colour which may be difficult for some users to engage with
- In some cases the colour of the text and background are not in sufficient contrast
- The register interest form may not be easy to navigate with all screen reader software
If you're not able to view vital information, or complete an action on the website, please contact us so we can provide additional support or guidance.
What to do if you can't access parts of this website
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us.
We'll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact Gateshead Council.
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, Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website's accessibility
Gateshead Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations
- Not all content on the page is included in HTML5 or WAI-ARIA landmarks, so does not meet success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We will update any missing landmarks on an ongoing basis and aim to complete this process by September 2020.
- Some links are identified by changes in colour when using a cursor rather than a keyboard to navigate, this does not meet success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Colour). This is the case on our buttons. We will add additional styling to resolve this issue by September 2020.
- Within the global navigation menu the colour of the text and the colour of the background are not in sufficient contrast to each other. This fails to meet success criterion 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced). Similarly, page headings and some buttons within the main content do not have sufficient contrast. We will resolve these issues by May 2020.
- Link text used for multiple different destinations, this fails to meet criterion 2.4.9 (Link Purpose - Link Only) and 2.4.4 (Link purpose - in context). It is a particular problem on the homepage, House types page, Valley View page and Woodhouse Mews page where there is multiple links with the text "find out more". We will aim to amend this by September 2020.
- On 'The Location' page the Google Maps iframe does not have a title, this does not meet WCAG success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role value). We will resolve this issue by September 2020.
- Not all content is included in WAI-ARIA landmarks, this does not meet success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships). We will aim to update this so more content is clearly defined by September 2020.
Disproportionate burden
- Forms will time out after an hour causing users to lose the information they input without warning. This doesn't meet Success Criterion 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable. This is set by a third party so we are unable to extend this time period.
- Headings on some pages skip levels such as on the 'House types' page, which does not meet criterion 2.4.10 (Section headings). Page templates are set by a third party so we are not able to resolve this issue at the moment but will work with our digital platform provider to implement a fix.
- Many of our older PDFs don't meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be structured so they're accessible to a screen reader. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2. However, the accessibility regulations don't require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services. If you feel you are unable to access these documents but require the information please contact us.
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 2 October 2019. The test was carried out by Gateshead Council.
We checked a sample of pages (at least one example of each page type we use) against the criterion to determine accessibility issues, with support from third party accessibility checker browser extensions. We also used basic screen reader software to check the site for potential issues when using assistive technology.
What we're doing to improve accessibility
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. We will reassess this statement as technology and our digital platforms develop to ensure that if fixes become available that we implement these quickly.
This statement was prepared on 2 October 2019. It was last updated on 2 October 2019.
