Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Navigation
Some links do not contain content in the navigation. Screen-reader users cannot identify the purpose of the link. This falls under the 2.4.4 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by September 2021.
A visual cue is not available on the Browse sub menu items and all submenus are announced as “Submenu navigation”. It’s difficult for screen-reader users to identify which main menu item the submenu announcement relates to. The submenu items also receive keyboard focus without the submenu being expanded. These issues fall under the 4.1.2 (A), the 2.4.3 (A) and the 2.4.7 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by September 2021.
Live feed videos missing text alternatives and/or audio description
Transcripts are provided for most videos on the website. However, there are no transcripts or audio descriptions for live press-conference feeds. We try to provide audio descriptions for videos if requested. This issue falls under the 1.2.1 (A), 1.2.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Moving content on the homepage
The buttons to change the pages of the latest news carousel on the homepage are inaccessible by keyboard. This issue falls under the 2.1.1 (A), 2.2.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Also, when using Internet Explorer as a browser, focus is taken to the top of the page every time the keyboard user reaches the carousel. The user cannot navigate further down the page as the focus moves automatically to the top of the page. This issue falls under the 1.3.2 (A), 2.4.3 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Feedback form
The feedback form on each website page includes a CAPTCHA (reCAPTCHA) that is required to complete the form. This is provided by a third party. Although the CAPTCHA uses a checkbox, this is replaced by an image challenge under certain conditions. Users with visual impairments who are unable to complete the CAPTCHA cannot successfully submit the form. This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation and cannot be fixed by us.
The feedback buttons are not interactable as radio buttons. To select one of them, the user has to trigger the spacebar rather than being able to select using the arrow keys. Screen-reader users may not know how to trigger these radio buttons as they don’t behave as radio buttons, so they may not be able to continue their journey to give feedback. This issue falls under the 3.2.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
One of the ‘like/dislike’ icons becomes disabled and visually appears a little dimmed after it is selected. This area is inactive until all the conditions have been fulfilled/completed and then the disabled icon disappears. This difference is not conveyed to the screen-reader user. This issue falls under the 1.3.1 (A), 4.1.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Complex images missing text alternative
Some complex images lack alternative text. These include complex charts and graphs. Screen-reader users will not be able to understand the content, but the underlying data is provided wherever possible. This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 1.4.5 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
There are also embedded third-party Flourish charts that lack alternative text and an alternative format to assistive technology. This issue will be fixed by Flourish by December 2020.
Colour alone used to convey information
Colour alone is used to convey information on charts and graphs. Non-sighted users and users with certain visual impairments will not be able to perceive the information. The underlying data is provided wherever possible. This issue falls under the 1.3.1 (A), 1.4.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
Inaccessible embedded interactive presentation elements
There is embedded third-party Tableau content that consists of numerous focusable elements. These are not reachable and operable via the keyboard. Keyboard and screen-reader users will not be able to use them. This issue falls under many WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and cannot be fixed by us.
Low colour contrast on the search bar
The error message on the search bar on the homepage does not have enough contrast between the foreground text and background colours. Text with low colour contrast makes it more difficult to read for users with visual impairments. This issue falls under the 1.4.3 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Error messages do not help users correct their errors
We use third-party providers for the feedback form on all pages and the subscribe to emails form. When a user makes a mistake submitting either form, error messages are provided. However, some of them lack information to help users correct their errors. This issue falls under the 3.3.3 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and cannot be fixed by us.
Fieldset missing legend on content search filters
Some pages on the website use a content search filter. In some instances, a fieldset has been used to group the form fields but it lacks a legend. A fieldset and legend helps screen-reader users by providing context to a group of form fields. This context is lost when the fieldset lacks a descriptive legend. This issue falls under the 1.1.1 (A), 1.3.1 (A), 3.3.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Footnotes inaccessible to assistive technology
In several historical pages with footnotes, the relationship between the text/symbol and the note are not perceivable to assistive technology. This falls under the 1.3.1 (A), 4.1.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s).
‘Filter by’ categories component lacks a warning of a change of context on the search results page
When the search results page loads with the results, the keyboard focus is taken to the skip link at the top of the page rather than by the number of search results found. The screen-reader user has to navigate from the top of the page to find the results of the search, which can be irksome to do each time. Also, the main category items that offer a sub category is not correctly marked up. The correct state of this main category control in its collapsible/expandable position needs to be exposed to the screen-reader user. These issues fall under the 3.2.2 (A), 4.1.3 (AA) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
‘Filter by’ component(s) number of results missing
The number of search results available is visible on the pages when a filter is selected. However, this information is not announced to the screen-reader user. This issue falls under the 3.3.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Maths equations not correctly conveyed to assistive technology
In some instances, maths equations lack the correct mark-up so their meaning is not correctly conveyed to assistive technology. Screen-reader users may therefore have difficulty understanding the equations. This issue falls under the 1.3.1 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Slider inaccessible by keyboard and screen reader
The ‘Explore our banknotes’ components allow mouse users to drag the notes or use the slider to find out about the features on the note. This component is inaccessible to keyboard and screen-reader users. However, there is an alternative method such as text to view the descriptions of the note provided within this component under the section ‘Key Security Features’ on each page. This issue falls under the 1.3.1 (A), 1.4.3 (AA), 2.1.1 (A), 4.1.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Missing warning of link opening in a new window
On the Partners page, the name of the logos is not announced to the screen-reader user. All logo images are announced as “Opens in a new window” with the company name omitted (despite having an alt text). This issue falls under the 2.4.4 (A), 3.2.2 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
Links to non-HTML documents missing file type and file size information
Across the website, some links lack the file-type or file-size information. This issue falls under the 2.4.4 (A) and will be fixed by December 2021.
Illogical keyboard focus order for in-page links
The back to top link is not set to go to the ‘Skip link’, meaning that keyboard users don’t have the choice of either bypassing the logo and the main menu or going straight to the main body of the content. This issue falls under the 1.3.2 (A), 2.4.3 (A) WCAG 2.1 violation(s) and will be fixed by December 2020.
