Timetabler Application Accessibility Statement

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

This accessibility statement applies to   https://timetabler.is.ed.ac.uk/

This application is used by the timetabling department at the University of Edinburgh. It is Optime software we have purchased from EventMAP Ltd. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:

• Using your browser settings, change most colours, contrast levels and fonts
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of Job Access with Speech (JAWS), NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) and VoiceOver). 
• Navigate to most of the site using voice recognition software e.g. Dragon
• use the website without encountering any time limits

Customising the Application

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:

AbilityNet - My Computer My Way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of the application using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:

Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

University staff and students can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:

Information on SensusAccess

How accessible this application is

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

• accessing all content may not be possible by using the keyboard alone, as some content is inaccessible
• it is not always clear where the user has navigated to on the page when using keyboard, as selection displays vary and can be unclear 
• some items are coded incorrectly meaning JAWS struggles to navigate around some areas of the site and cannot reach all content
• Magnification above 110% can result in a loss of content, and on some pages content overlaps at 100% zoom level
• Reflow is not enabled on this site
• Not all non text content has alt text
• There are examples of information conveyed by colour only
• Some text moves and cannot be stopped or paused by the user
• Pop ups open without warning the users and some links open in new tabs without warning
• Not all colour contrasts meet recommended guidance
• There is not an appropriate heading structure on the site
• Some URLs are not formatted correctly to be clear to users that they are links
• Tooltips are not enabled on all relevant items, and cannot be accessed by keyboard navigation
• Some data validation notifications appear as pop ups without warning

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this application in a different format, including accessible PDF, large print, audio recording or braille:

• https://www.ed.ac.uk/timetabling-examinations/timetabling/contacts
• Email - timetabling@ed.ac.uk
• Telephone
• British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the on-line BSL interpreting service:
• Contact Scotland BSL

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

Reporting accessibility problems with this application

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this application. If you find any problems not listed on this page, or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

• https://www.ed.ac.uk/timetabling-examinations/timetabling/contacts
• Email - timetabling@ed.ac.uk
• British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the on-line BSL interpreting service:
• Contact Scotland BSL

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

Contact Scotland BSL 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. 

Contact Scotland BSL service details

Technical information about this application’s accessibility

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

Compliance Status

This application is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The full guidelines are available at:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard

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 2.2 AA success criteria:

• Not all non-text content presented to users has alternative text
  • 1.1.1 - Non-text Content
• Some items are not coded correctly and therefore do not interact with assistive software as expected
  • 1.3.1 – Info and Relationships
• There are examples of information conveyed by colour only
  • 1.4.1 – Use of Colour
• There may not be sufficient colour contrast between font and background colours, especially where the text size is very small
  • 1.4.3 - Contrast (Minimum)
• Above 200% magnification, content is lost because of overlapping items
  • 1.4.4 - Resize Text
• Reflow is only enabled up to 150% on some pages, and on others users must scroll horizontally at 100% magnification
  • 1.4.10 – Reflow 
• Tooltips cannot be reached by keyboard navigation, and they are not enabled on all relevant items
  • 1.4.13 – Content on Hover or Focus
• Not all content can be reached when navigating by keyboard
  • 2.1.1 - Keyboard
• There is moving text that cannot be paused or stopped by the users
  • 2.2.2 – Pause, Stop, Hide
• There is no skip to main content link on the site
  • 2.4.1 – Bypass blocks
• The site does not have a heading structure to help with navigation
  • 2.4.6 – Headings and Labels
• Visual information to identify user interface components, such as keyboard focus, do not always have a sufficient contrast ratio, or some items have no keyboard focus at all
  • 2.4.7 - Focus Visible
• Pop ups and new tabs open without the user being alerted
  • 3.2.2 On Input
• Data validation mechanisms appear as pop ups which are inaccessible to some users and are not consistent 
  • 3.3.1 Error Identification
• The site is not fully compatible with screen readers as not all elements are correctly labelled.
  • 4.1.2 – Name, Role, Value

Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place for those items within our control by March 2025. We will continue to work with the suppliers regarding items out with our control. The supplier provides monthly releases with enhancements

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

At this time we do not believe any content is out with the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to address the accessibility issues highlighted, alongside working to deliver a solution or suitable workaround. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place for those items within our control by March 2025. We will continue to work with the suppliers regarding items out with our control. The supplier provides monthly releases with enhancements.

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this application.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 2nd April 2024. It was last reviewed on 2nd April 2024.

This application was last tested by the University of Edinburgh’s Disability Information Student Team in April 2024, using automated and manual methods. The site was tested on a PC, primarily using Microsoft Edge (103.0.1264.37) alongside Mozilla Firefox (91.9.1esr) and Google Chrome.

Recent world-wide usage levels survey for different screen readers and browsers shows that Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge are increasing in popularity and Google Chrome is now the favoured browser for screen readers:

WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey

The aforementioned three browsers have been used in certain questions for reasons of breadth and variety.

We tested:

• Spellcheck functionality
• Scaling using different resolutions
• Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour et. cetera)
• Keyboard navigation
• Data validation
• Warning of links opening in a new tab or window
• Information conveyed in colour or sound only
• Flashing or scrolling text
• Use with screen reading software (eg. JAWS)
• Assistive Software (TextHelp Read and Write, ZoomText)
• Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content
• Time limits
• Drag and drop functionality
• Help section

Change Log