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Privacy Policy

Accessibility statement for EPIC Scotland

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

This accessibility statement applies to: https://www.epicscotland.org

This website is run by EPIC Scotland, a Scottish Government Centre of Expertise, and consortium of institutions, including The University of Edinburgh. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • Change colours, contrast levels and fonts (specifically in free text boxes)

  • Zoom in up to 500% without the text spilling off the screen

  • Navigate most of the application using just a keyboard

  • Listen to most of the application 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. However, some of our content is technical, and we use technical terms where there is no easier wording we could use without changing what the text means.

Customising the website

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 our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:

Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:

/Infor/mation on SensusAccess

How accessible this website is

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

  • There are some areas where elements, links or images are hyperlinked or in tab order without discernible text or alternate text. EPIC is working with the web developer to resolve these errors.

  • Some links open new tabs or browser windows without warning.

  • When navigating using a keyboard an outline or dotted line shows your location, this could be made clearer

  • There are PDF documents on some Resource pages.

  • Some fonts are below the recommended font size. EPIC is working with the web developer to resolve these errors.

  • Some data validation boxes (dates) will not auto-correct an invalid “year” when typing the date.

  • Hero banners on some pages are not included in the tab order. EPIC is working with the web developer to resolve this error.

  • The skip to main content option is not available. EPIC is working with the web developer to resolve this error.

  • The main video on the landing page of the EPIC website is hidden behind a box and not visible when using the Chrome Colour Changer extension. Please note the video is decorative.

Feedback and contact information

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

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

Reporting accessibility problems with this website


We are 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:

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 8.00am to 12.00am, 7 days a week.

Contact Scotland BSL service details

Technical information about this website’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 website 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 items have alternative text

  • There are PDF documents on some Resource pages, however the format is supported through some accessibility tools and programmes.

  • The main video on the landing page of the EPIC website is hidden behind a box and not visible when using the Chrome Colour Changer extension.There is no audio track that provides the equivalent information. However, this is a decorative video.

  • Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parents - Required ARIA parents role not present: menu, menubar, group

  • Hero banners on some pages are not included in the tab order.

    • 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence – When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined.

    • 2.1.1 Keyboard – A All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface

    • 2.4.3 Focus Order – Focus must follow a logical order that preserves meaning and operability.

  • Some links open new tabs or browser windows without warning.

  • When navigating using a keyboard an outline or dotted line shows your location, this could be made clearer

  • Some fonts are below the recommended font size.

  • Some data validation boxes (dates) will not auto-correct an invalid “year” when typing the date.

  • The skip to main content option is not available.

We aim to improve our websites accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we're doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our site accessibility.

We are working towards solving these problems and expect several improvements by September 2026. The site uses a third party developer. All template, element and coding issues are outwith our control. University of Edinburgh staff only have access to fix written content and provide alternative text on uploaded images.

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 believe no content is outwith the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to address and make adequate improvements to the accessibility issues highlighted. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place by September 2026.

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues 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 website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 25th June 2025. It was last reviewed on 25th June 2025.

The website was last tested on 6th May 2025. The testing was carried out by EPIC’s Knowledge Exchange and Communications Officer at the University of Edinburgh using both automated and manual methods. The site was tested on a PC, primarily using Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

Recent world-wide usage levels survey for different screen readers and browsers shows that Chrome 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 ran automated testing using WAVE WebAIM and then manual testing that included:

  • Spell check functionality;

  • Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;

  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc);

  • Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;

  • Data validation;

  • Warning of links opening in new tab or window;

  • Information conveyed in the colour or sound only;

  • Flashing, moving or scrolling text;

  • Use with screen reading software (for example JAWS);

  • Assistive software (TextHelp Read and Write, Windows Magnifier, ZoomText, VoiceOver);

  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;

  • Time limits;

  • Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS).

  • Drag functionality and alternatives

  • Consistent help function

Change Log

29/07/2025

  • Non text content has been updated to have alt text, or is labeled descriptive.
  • Tab order has been updated for menus and pages so all elements are accessible. A skip to content button has been added when interacting with Navigation through a keyboard.
  • Links that open in a new window have additional text to alert users.
  • Focus state of buttons, links and text is now 2px or greater with sufficient contrast against the background.
  • Text sizes have been increased so none fall below the minimum size or contrast.
  • Date validation has been added to date input.
  • Hero video is now marked as decorative.
  • Aria roles added to navigation.