Accessible documents policy

This policy explains how accessible the documents Office of the Public Guardian publishes on GOV.UK are.

Office of the Public Guardian publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF, PDF forms and Zip.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:

  • provide an HTML option where possible
  • tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
  • make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
  • avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
  • write in plain English

New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.

However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:

  • are not tagged up properly - for example, they do not contain proper headings
  • are not written in plain English
  • are online forms that are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • contain images and charts without a textual description
  • include complex tables
  • are forms which have guidance in a separate PDF to help completion

This mostly applies to our:

  • corporate reports
  • statutory guidance
  • forms

These types of documents are exempt from the regulations, so we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible.

But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.

What to do if you cannot use one of our documents

If you need a document we’ve published in a different format:

We’ll consider the request and get back to you in 10 days.

Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email [email protected] or call 0300 456 0300.

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 (EASS).

Technical information about the accessibility of our documents

Office of the Public Guardian is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The documents Office of the Public Guardian publishes are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Some of our documents have diagrams and/or tables. Some of these do not have a text alternative, so the information in them isn’t available to people using a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Many of our older PDFs do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

Some of our PDFs are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services. By September 2020, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we do not plan to fix ‘Your voice, your decision: campaign materials’.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

How we tested our documents

We last tested a sample of our documents in September 2020. The test was carried out by the Office of the Public Guardian Content Design team.

We tested PDF documents and PDF forms.

We decided to test these types of document, as aside from HTML, these are the most used document formats in OPG.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

  • updating corporate Word and PDF templates to an accessible format
  • creating documents as HTML rather than PDF where possible
  • raising awareness across the organisation and encouraging the use of clear English in reports

This page was prepared on 8 September 2021. It was last updated on 8 September 2021.

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