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The National Library of Wales is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement covers the National Library of Wales website and any site ending in library.wales or llyfrgell.cymru.


Compliance status

(b) This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below under non-accessible content.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below does not meet WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria and is non-accessible for the following reason(s):

(a) non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Videos

Not all videos currently have captions, or a text alternative. This fails success criterion 1.2.2 (Captions (Prerecorded)), 1.2.3 (Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)) and 1.2.5 (Audio Description (Prerecorded)).

This means people with sight-impairments and/or hearing-impairments may not be able to fully access video content.

Audio files

Not all audio files currently a text alternative. This fails success criterion 1.2.1 (Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)).

This means that hearing-impaired users will be unable to fully access audio content.

Documents

Many PDFs fail success criteria. This mainly affects sight-impaired and keyboard-only users.

Some documents are not explicitly laid out correctly, for example the correct use of headings. This fails success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).

Some documents may require zooming (enlarging) and therefore require left to right scrolling. This fails success criteria 1.4.10 (Reflow).

Some documents lack alternative text for images and some documents have purely decorative artefacts which are not marked as such. This fails success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).

Some documents have colour-contrast issues, affecting sight-impaired users. This fails success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum))

PDFs and other documents are currently undergoing remediation work. This should be completed mid 2024.
 

Specific issues

For a further list of site-specific non-compliance with the accessibility regulations, please see site-specific information about the Library’s websites.


Disproportionate burden

We have no issues identified as being a disproportionate burden.

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

  • Pre-recorded time-based media, such as YouTube videos, published before 23 September 2020 are exempt
  • PDFs and other documents published before 23 September 2018 that are not essential to providing our services are exempt 
  • Live video or audio streams do not require captions
  • We will try and ensure any use of online maps is as accessible as possible, however this is not required by accessibility regulations 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 25/10/2020.

It was last reviewed and updated on 15/05/2024.

Regular tests are carried out internally using axe DevTools and Wave, with the WCAG Colour Contrast Checker. Testing is both automated and manual.

Testing of these websites was last completed week ending 15/05/2024.

Feedback and contact information

We welcome feedback or comments which help us improve the accessibility of our websites.

The list of issues in this statement is not exhaustive, so you're welcome to contact our Enquiries Service to discuss any specific problems or requirements.

Likewise, if you'd like to make a complaint, you're welcome to contact our Enquiries Service.

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) via the following link:

https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/