Accessibility

Accessibility - two people working at a laptop

Accessibility statement for openathens.net

This statement applies to content published on openathens.net

How accessible this website is

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

  • Some older PDF documents aren’t fully accessible to screen reader software.
  • Some target elements such as buttons do not have an accessible name that is not empty.

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.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

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 or call +44 (0) 20 3880 2626. 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 or call +44 (0) 20 3880 2626.

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

Many of our older PDFs and Word documents don’t meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be marked up so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value). Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish should meet accessibility standards.

Issues with buttons on the product tour module

The product tour module used to show screenshots uses a button with a missing accessible name. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Whenever new features are released they must meet WCAG 2.1 AA. We’re also committed to working on the issues above with a fix in place by November 2023.

This statement was prepared August 2023.

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


Accessibility statement for OpenAthens products

Technical information about accessibility for our products

OpenAthens 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

Our products are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

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

There are accessibility issues with our Self-registration forms. Details are provided below.

This statement applies to MyAthens (my.openathens.net)

This product supports the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A and AA standard.

This statement applies to OpenAthens Login (login.openathens.net)

This product supports the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A and AA standard.

This product supports the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A and AA standard.

This statement applies to OpenAthens Wayfinder (wayfinder.openathens.net)

This product supports the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A and AA standard.

This statement applies Self-registration forms (register.openathens.net)

Self-registration forms developed after June 2020 are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A and AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

  • Use of third-party tool – reCAPTCHA

The use of reCAPTCHA may make Self-registration forms more difficult to use for users with certain impairments (for example, deafblind).

Self-registration forms developed before June 2020 are not compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A and AA standard. The non-compliances are listed below.

  • The Self-registration forms cannot be navigated by keyboard alone
  • The Self-registration forms may not be usable with assistive technologies
  • There may be issues with text colour contrast

Email contact details are available on the Self-registration forms where help can be sought for problems registering for an OpenAthens account.

Accessibility for library and publisher products

Our library and publisher products are:

  • Administration Area (admin.openathens.net)
  • Reports (reports.openathens.net)
  • Publisher Dashboard (sp.openathens.net)

These products are not currently compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 A or AA standard. The non-compliances are listed below:

  • The Administration Area and Publisher Dashboard cannot be navigated by keyboard alone
  • The products are not usable with assistive technologies
  • The products cannot be zoomed without problems
  • There are issues with text colour contrast

Disproportionate burden

Fixing all the accessibility issues that we have identified now for the Administration Area, Reports, Publisher Dashboard, and Self-registration forms developed before June 2020 would, we believe, be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. However, we are committed to making improvements whenever opportunities arise.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

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

  • Redevelopment of Administration Area (admin.openathens.net) will begin during 2023 and accessibility will be built-in from the start

Reporting accessibility problems

We’re 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’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:

Open a support ticket with any questions or issues or email contact@openathens.net

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was last reviewed December 2022.

The accessibility of our products was last tested January 2022. 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 with disabilities. We have evaluated the accessibility of our end-user facing products and documented their conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, at levels A and AA.