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Accessibility statement (Digital Stories website)
This statement relates to the accessibility of Scottish Book Trust's Digital Stories website
Scottish Book Trust is an independent national charity with a mission to ensure people living in Scotland have equal access to books. Everyone should have the opportunity to improve their life chances through books and the fundamental skills of reading and writing. We are committed to making our websites and other digital products accessible to as many people as possible.
Measures to support accessibility
This website (https://digital-stories.scot/(this link will open in a new window)) is a Squarespace site which has been built by Scottish Book Trust using page templates created by Squarespace. We have customised page templates and content with digital accessibility best practices in mind, and also run automated tests and manual checks to make further improvements. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- Change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- Zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- Listen to most of the website using a screen reader
- Access video content with captions
AbilityNet(this link will open in a new window) has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible is the Digital Stories website?
We are continually working to improve the accessibility of this website through our content curation, creation, upload and management processes. However, we know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. We have optimised the Squarespace website template as much as possible and will continue to review Squarespace’s developments for future improvements.
- Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee live videos are streamed with captions and some of our older videos do not have captions.
- The focus indicator does not have sufficient colour contrast with all website elements.
- There are a few instances of skipped headings.
- Some thumbnail images have insufficient alternative text.
Feedback and contact information
We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. Squarespace has stated its commitment to making its services more accessible and are currently reviewing their services to 'improve user experience and to make it easier for customers to make their sites accessible'. Squarespace's article on accessibility(this link will open in a new window) provides more information.
If you find any problems with the website or need information on this website in a different format, please contact us at digital@scottishbooktrust.com(this link will open in a new window) or by calling 0131 524 0160.
You can find out more about the accessibility of our main website and apps in our separate accessibility statements.
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(this link will open in a new window) (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 this website's accessibility
Compliance status
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1(this link will open in a new window) AA standard due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- The focus indicator does not have sufficient colour contrast with all website elements. Due to the lack of customizability for Squarespace’s focus indicator(this link will open in a new window) and the focus indicator of third-party video streaming (YouTube(this link will open in a new window) and Vimeo(this link will open in a new window)), users who rely on keyboard navigation or who have visual impairments may be prevented from navigating and operating certain sections of the website. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible.
- There are a few instances of skipped headings. This can cause confusion and problems for screen reader software, failing WCAG success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. The issue primarily impacts video listing pages and, at this time, we are unable to resolve due to the limited functionality of the Squarespace template.
- Some thumbnail images have insufficient alternative text. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content. Currently, we are unable to edit alternative text on video thumbnail images, therefore users who have difficulty perceiving visual content will be prevented from experiencing this content fully.
Disproportionate burden
- Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee live videos are streamed with captions and some of our older videos do not have captions. The absence of captions prevents deaf and hearing impaired people from accessing video content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded). We encourage users to get in touch if there is a specific video they need captions for and we will accommodate such requests as quickly as possible.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 13/09/22. It was last reviewed on 15/02/24.
This website was last tested on 27/10/23.
Our digital team carried out testing internally against WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. We used this accessibility testing approach to decide on a sample of pages to test.
Please email digital@scottishbooktrust.com(this link will open in a new window) if you wish to read the full accessibility test report.