Accessibility roadmap for RCM Research Online

This page details all of the known accessibility issues affecting RCM Research Online, the method that was used to find issues, and the plans in place to fix them.

Plans for fixing known accessibility issues

All of the issues that have been highlighted in this review will be fixed in a planned upgrade to this repository

Method for testing accessibility

This repository was tested using WAVE's web accessibility tool. This tool returns a comprehensive list of features that may limit the ability of users to access a website, especially those using assistive technology such as screen readers. We ran this tool on a version of the repository without branding customisation, covering the pages that users most frequently interact with.

Known accessibility issues, listed by page

These issues are listed by page. Pages that are publicly accessible are listed first, and those for repository administrators can be found lower down. The number in brackets following the description represents the number of instances of that issue on the page. Below is a list of all the accessibility issues known to affect RCM Research Online with an explanation of what they mean.

Skipped heading level: A heading level is skipped. This may cause confusion or difficulty for those using keyboard navigation or screen readers.
Link to PDF document: This page may link to a PDF document. These documents may not be accessible and the need to use a separate application may cause confusion and navigation difficulties.
Redundant title text: The title attribute is the same as text or alternative text.
Layout table: Layout tables are being used to position content visually, for example, to create columns or align content neatly for sighted users. These can introduce reading and navigation order issues especially for those using screenreaders.
Very low contrast: There is very low contrast between foreground and background colours. This may make reading text on this page difficult for users, particular those with low vision.
Missing form label: A form control does not have a properly associated text label. This means that the function of the form control may not be presented to those using screen readers. The lack of visible description may also make the page harder to navigate for all users.
Redundant link: Adjacent links go to the same location. This creates additional navigation and repetition for those using keyboard and screen readers.
Broken ARIA reference:
Tabindex: A positive tabindex value is present. These alter the natural tab order, which may cause confusion and decrease keyboard accessibility.
Empty table header:
Select missing label: A select element may not have an associated label. This means that its purpose might not be clear to those using screen readers.
Javascript jump menu: A javascript jump menu is a select element that triggers a new web page with the onchange event handler. This may cause difficulty for users navigating the page with a keyboard as the page will change with each change in the select menu.

Publicly accessible pages

Homepage

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the homepage:

Skipped heading level (1)

About

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the about page:

Link to PDF document (4)

Browse

There are no accessibility issues known to affect the browse items page.

Item detail

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the item details page:

Skipped heading level (1)
Redundant title text (1)
Layout table (1)

Deposit workflow - item type

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the 'type' stage of the deposit workflow:

Very low contrast (4)

Deposit workflow - upload

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the 'upload' stage of the deposit workflow:

Missing form label (3)
Very low contrast (4)
Layout table (1)

Deposit workflow - details

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the 'details' stage of the deposit workflow:

Very low contrast (23)
Redundant link (1)

Deposit workflow - subject

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the 'subjects' stage of the deposit workflow:

Broken ARIA reference (1)
Very low contrast (19)
Redundant link (1)

Deposit workflow - deposit

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the 'deposit' stage of the deposit workflow:

Very low contrast (10)

Search

There are no accessibility are known to affect the simple search page.

Advanced search

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the advanced search page:

Very low contrast (1)

Login

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the user login page:

Missing form label (2)
Tabindex (4)

Manage deposits

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the manage deposits page:

Very low contrast (4)

Review

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the review page:

Broken ARIA reference (3)
Very low contrast (4)

Admin

There are no accessibility issues known to affect the admin page.

IR stats

The following accessibility issues are known to affect the IR stats reports page:

Missing form label (1)
Empty link (3)
Empty table header (4)
Select missing label (5)
Javascript jump menu (1)
Layout table (7)