Accessibility statement for South of Scotland Enterprise website

South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. 

This accessibility statement applies to South of Scotland Enterprise website available at www.southofscotlandenterprise.com.

This website is run by I-Finity Associates Ltd.  We continue to work with I-Finity to make our site as accessible as possible and continually review its accessibility. Below is our improvement plan.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to: 
•    Change colours, contrast levels and fonts 
•    Zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen 
•    Navigate the website from any device including standard mobile/tablet sizes.
•    Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard 
•    Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software 
•    Listen to most of the website 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. 

AbilityNet (link opens in a new window) has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Compliance status  

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 [ https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/ (link opens in a new window)] AA standard.  Details of non accessible content are listed in detail below. We plan to resolve by end of 31 July 2024.

Non-accessible content

WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum): We acknowledge that some historic PDFs on our website may not be fully accessible due to the nature of PDFs intended for print. However we make it clear that you can request documents in alternative formats. When we publish new PDFs in 2024, we will ensure they all meet accessibility standards.

The list below sets out our improvement plan of tasks which will be completed by 31 July 2024:

•    WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: The focus moves through the form beneath the 'Contact Us today' button even if the form is not opened. 
•    WCAG 2.4.3 Focus Order: At 200% and 400% zoom, the links in the hamburger menu can only be opened if the user tabs backwards. If the user tabs forwards, the menu stays open.
•    WCAG 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose: Autocomplete attribute must be used correctly (Axe): This refers to the input box under the 'Company name and trading address' text in the 'Contact us today' form. 

Homepage

•    WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text: At 200% zoom on the homepage, the 'Select an option' select elements below the carousel are no longer available. While the select elements are not available, the 'Select an option' text is not initially visible on the page. We understand this is an issue specific to MacOS and are looking into this.

Contact us

•    WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: The focus moves through the forms beneath the 'Get in touch with SOSE' heading even if the forms are not opened. 
•    WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow: In mobile view (320x256), the reCAPTCHA widgets below 3 of the forms are partly cut off. 
•    WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements (Axe):This refers to hidden #enquiry-form listbox elements. 

 News

•    WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: The focus moves through the filter menu, 'Search by Selecting a Category:' even if the 'show filters' element is not selected. 
•    WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements (Axe): This refers to the hidden '.data8-results' element. 
•    WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text: There are some images of text.

SOSE Events & Training

•    WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible: The focus moves through the filter menu, even if the 'show filters' element is not selected. 

Accessibility page

•    WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements (Axe): This refers to the hidden '.data8-results' element. 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

  • This statement was prepared on 1st April 2020 and was last reviewed on 1 February 2024.
  • This website was tested against the WCAG 2.1 AA Standard in October 2023 by our website partners. This website was further reviewed by the Government Digital Service in late 2023.
  • The statement was reviewed by SOSE marketing and communications team and our website partners I-Finity Associates Ltd after this and updated in January 2024.
  • We plan to work with I-Finity to test the website against WCAG 2.2 AA Standard in 2024, a definitive plan is in development. 

What we're doing to improve accessibility 

This website was tested during the restructure of the site from June to October 2022 . The test was carried out by I-Finity Associates Ltd who are our website partner.  I-Finity tested the site using various assistive technologies, such as: 

  • NVDA 
  • Microsoft Windows Speech Recognition
  • VoiceOver 
  • Dragon Naturally Speaking 
  • ZoomText 
  • Wave 
  • Developer tools code audit   (Lighthouse)

We undertook a range of User Accessibility Testing prior to the restructured site going live on 17 October 2022.  

Accessibility updates were last deployed on 2 January 2024 following further testing by I-Finity and external feedback from the Government Digital Service review in October 2023.

Changes made during the latest phase of accessibility updates included:

  • Keyboard Accessible Navigation - to make Newsletter tabbed via keyboard
  • Banner Carousel - play/pause button on bottom right added to live website
  • Navigation drop-down - ability to click down and up to expand and close drop down menu options 
  • Zoom levels on hamburger menu - opens at 200/400% 
  • Enquiry form input boxes updated 
  • Contact us page - focus issue resolved and accessible via keyboard.

Feedback and contact information 

If you have any difficulty using this website, or require this information in an alternative format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please let us know. You can contact us using our online feedback form (link opens in a new window). 

Or, if you prefer, you can contact us on: 

If you're deaf or hearing impaired you can use your textphone to contact us through Relay UK, or search for Relay UK on the App Store for iPhone or iPad and at Google Play for Android - alternatively, you can use Minicom 0800 023 2071 or BT helpline 0800 731 1888  We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 days. 

If you've contacted us regarding accessibility and are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it. 

The SPSO cannot normally look at: 

  • A complaint that has not completed our complaints procedure (so please make sure it has done so, before contacting the SPSO) 
  • Events that happened, or that you became aware of, more than a year ago 
  • A matter that has been or is being considered in court 

Contact the SPSO (link opens in a new window)   

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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (link opens in a new window).