Accessibility

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations 

 

1. Insufficient colour contrast

Several brand and interactive colours used across the site fail minimum contrast requirements:

• White text (#ffffff) on a blue background (#01a9da) achieves a contrast ratio of 2.73:1, well below the required 4.5:1. This combination is used on prominent call-to-action buttons and linked elements.
• Blue link text (#01a9da) on a white background (#ffffff) achieves the same contrast ratio of 2.73:1.
• White text (#ffffff) on a blue background (#2393f6) achieves a contrast ratio of 3.19:1.
• Dark navy text (#1a2d59) on a bright blue background (#2393f7) achieves a contrast ratio of 4.21:1, just below the required 4.5:1 threshold.

These issues affect a large number of pages across the site.

These fail WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

2. Buttons without discernible text

Pagination controls on course listing, search results, and other listing pages contain icon-only buttons that have no visible label, aria-label, aria-labelledby, or title attribute. Screen reader users cannot determine the purpose of these buttons.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

3. Select element without an accessible name

A sort-order dropdown on search and listing pages has no associated label, aria-label, or aria-labelledby attribute. Screen reader users cannot determine the purpose of this control.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

4. Touch target size below minimum

A number of interactive elements across the site — including links and buttons — have a clickable/touch target area smaller than the 24×24 CSS pixel minimum required by WCAG 2.2. This can make navigation difficult for users with motor impairments on touch devices.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

5. Interactive ARIA elements without accessible names

Some elements on the site use ARIA roles but do not have an associated accessible name via aria-label, aria-labelledby, or visible text content. Assistive technology users cannot determine the purpose of these elements.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

6. Navigation menus and interactive controls not keyboard accessible

Several areas of the site cannot be reached or used with keyboard navigation alone. The Tab key skips past the "Study Areas" section and "Term Dates" dropdown on the Home Page, and pressing Enter or Space does not open these menus. The "Term Dates" link on the About page similarly requires a mouse. On the Course Search / Apply Now page, pagination items displayed as "…" cannot be selected using Tab or arrow keys. On the News page, the subject area filter is skipped entirely by Tab navigation, and pagination items displayed as "…" are likewise not keyboard accessible.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

7. Cookie consent banner not fully keyboard accessible

The cookie preferences panel cannot be dismissed using the Escape key and must be closed by pressing Enter on the close (×) button only.

This may involve a third-party cookie management component; we are investigating what direct control is available.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

8. Hover-triggered navigation content cannot be dismissed

The Term Dates dropdown on the Home Page remains visible when the mouse is positioned over it and can only be closed by pressing Enter — not by pressing the Escape key. Users who trigger this content inadvertently cannot easily dismiss it.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

9. Keyboard focus indicators have insufficient visibility

When navigating the site using a keyboard, the visible focus indicator is difficult to distinguish on several element types: a black outline against dark navy radio button controls is not sufficiently distinct; and a blue border around arrow-style links is barely visible against similar background colours. At higher zoom levels, the focus indicator on the cookie preferences panel also overlaps surrounding content.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA) and WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.11 Focus Appearance (Level AA).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

10. Images without meaningful alternative text

A number of images across the site do not have an alt attribute where one is needed, or have alt text that is present but not meaningful — for example, images labelled with generic values such as "IMG 7986". These descriptions do not convey the content or purpose of the image to screen reader users.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.

11. Search field relies on placeholder text only

The search field on the home page and course search field on the Course Search / Apply Now page uses placeholder text as its only visible label. Placeholder text disappears when the user begins typing, leaving no persistent visible indication of the field's purpose.

This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).

We plan to fix this in a future scheduled website release.