Accessibility

Accessibility - two people working at a laptop

Accessibility statement for openathens.net

This statement applies to content published on openathens.net

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

OpenAthens (a part of Jisc) is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

ShawTrust accesible logo

We aim to make our website accessible to anyone, regardless of ability, device, or internet access. We currently strive to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and have passed an audit against WCAG 2.2 AA standards:

We know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:

  • Some older PDF documents aren’t fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • Some issues with pages that are populated from third-party sources and are outside the direct control of OpenAthens include: insufficient colour contrast, missing fieldset’s, ambiguous button labelling and element markup.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or braille, email contact@openathens.net. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email contact@openathens.net.

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).

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Issues with PDFs and other documents

Our Glossary poster and infographic do not meet the accessibility standards – for example, they may not be marked up so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion. Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish should meet accessibility standards.

Issues with insufficient colour contrast and missing fieldset

Our communications page does not meet the accessibility standards, failing due to:

  • Missing fieldset’s tags – There are checkboxes present that are not linked to the question being asked.
  • Insufficient colour contrast – the form field border failed colour contrast requirements with a ratio of 2:2:1.

This is a known limitation, as the form originates from a third-party source and is outside the direct control of OpenAthens.

Issues with ambiguous button labelling and element markup

Our OpenAthens in numbers page does not meet the accessibility standards, failing due to ambiguous button labelling and element mark-up, screen readers can tab to the graphs but no information was announced to them. This is a known limitation, as the form originates from a third-party source and is outside the direct control of OpenAthens.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Whenever new features are released, they must meet WCAG 2.2 AA. We’re also committed to working on the issues above with a fix in place by December 2025.

Content modified from the GOV.UK accessibility statement – used through the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was last reviewed in October 2025.

Shaw Trust carried out the test as part of an ongoing accessibility audit. We passed the audit and this website is WCAG 2.2 AA compliant.

How we tested this website

Shaw Trust UK carries out comprehensive accessibility testing as part of their website audits. Their process combines automated testing tools with manual checks by experienced auditors, including users with disabilities, to identify barriers that might prevent people from fully accessing content. They assess compliance against recognised standards such as WCAG, providing clear recommendations to improve usability and inclusivity for all visitors.

Accessibility statement for OpenAthens products

Technical information about accessibility for our products

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

Compliance status

We aim to make our products accessible to anyone, regardless of ability, device, or internet access. We currently strive to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and have completed an audit against WCAG 2.2 AA standards:

Currently, we are partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA and are actively working to improve. As part of our ongoing efforts, we plan to re-audit the accessibility of the following features to ensure alignment with the latest specifications:

Accessibility for Learners and researchers’ products

The products are designed to be used by as many people as possible. You should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 400% without problems
  • navigate the product using just a keyboard
  • use the product with assistive technologies

OpenAthens Wayfinder (wayfinder.openathens.net) is aligned with the WCAG 2.2 A and AA standards.

The following features and services partially support the WCAG 2.2 A and AA standards:

  • MyAthens (my.openathens.net)
  • OpenAthens Login (login.openathens.net)
  • OpenAthens Link Generator (go.openathens.net/generate/)

The following product features and services are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2. Below, we outline the reasons for their non-compliance:

Administration area (admin.openathens.net)

  • The Administration area cannot be navigated by keyboard alone
  • The features are not usable with assistive technologies
  • The features cannot be zoomed without problems
  • There are issues with text colour contrast

Reports (reports.openathens.net)

  • Reports currently lack full keyboard-only navigability
  • Reports are not usable with assistive technologies

Service Provider Dashboard (sp.openathens.net)

  • Service Provider Dashboard cannot be navigated by keyboard alone
  • The features are not usable with assistive technologies
  • The features cannot be zoomed without problems
  • There are issues with text colour contrast

OpenAthens Connect administrator portal (oa-connect.openathens.net) supports the WCAG version 2.2 A and AA standards.

Undergoing Challenge

We are committed to complying with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. Currently, fixing all the accessibility issues we have identified Administration area, Reports, and Service Provider Dashboard represent a considerable challenge under the current accessibility regulations. However, we are actively working on these improvements and strive to make our products, features, and services accessible for everyone, ensuring their compliance with the latest standards.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve the accessibility of our features:

  • The process of auditing our features against WCAG 2.2 AA began during 2024
  • Redevelopment of the Service Provider Dashboard (sp.openathens.net) began in 2025 with accessibility built in from the start
  • Authentication point upgrade is currently in progress – full compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA is expected once this work is completed
  • Redevelopment of Administration Area (admin.openathens.net) will begin during 2025 and accessibility will be built in from the start

Reporting accessibility problems

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of the OpenAthens website and products. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, open a support ticket with any questions or issues or email us.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was last reviewed in August 2025.

The accessibility of our products was last tested in late 2024. The test was carried out by OpenAthens staff with extensive knowledge of developing and testing accessibility.

VPAT forms

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a template that many use to document how accessible products are for users. We have evaluated the accessibility of our end-user facing features and services and documented their conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, at levels A and AA. You can find the VPATs in our documentation site.

We work hard to achieve compliance with accessibility standards. For this reason, we are currently addressing the issues identified in the last audit for the WCAG 2.2 AA standard, which we will publish for transparency.