The following statement explains how the University of Bath’s Research Data Archive meets The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Apps) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations.
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations set out the standards that public sector bodies, including universities, must reach.
The following accessibility statement sets out how the University of Bath’s Research Data Archive meets these obligations. It also explains what content is exempt from this requirement.
The University of Bath Library is committed to making its Research Data Archive website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
We will update this statement as and when we make improvements to researchdata.bath.ac.uk.
To make sure that our website and applications are accessible, we follow the World Wide Web Consortiums (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1.
WCAG is a universally accepted standard for measuring the accessibility of a website or app. It uses a scale A, AA and AAA to rate the accessibility of content.
The University is committed to making sure, where possible, that its content meets AA compliance. AA compliance means people who have a disability should be able to access the majority of our content easily.
To make sure that our website is compliant with accessibility standards, our templates:
use valid HTML and CSS
let users change aspects of the site's appearance to improve their own experience
are easy to navigate no matter the input device or method
have a logical content structure and a clear information hierarchy
have layouts that adapt to different screen sizes without loss of functionality or usability
provide sufficient colour contrast between background and foreground items
provide alternative text descriptions for non-text elements such as images
The majority of our content meets WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. We have, however, identified some instances where this is not the case.
The University’s Research Data Archive (researchdata.bath.ac.uk) is made up of a publicly accessible website, and restricted access pages used by members of the University to upload and manage content. The site went live before 23 September 2018.
The Research Data Archive contains a publicly accessible interface presenting published information about research datasets preserved by the University. This includes a landing page for each published dataset containing information about the data and, where access restrictions permit, the data files available for download. The Archive’s public-facing website also includes information about the Archive’s policies, and a variety of pages allowing datasets to be searched for by different parameters.
Restricted access pages are used by members of the University to upload data files and information about the datasets ahead of publication. To access these pages you need a valid University username and password.
A subset of restricted pages are used by Library staff to administer the Archive. To access these pages you need a valid username and password, and individual access privileges.
The University of Bath Library’s Research Data Service is actively working to improve the accessibility of the Research Data Archive. In the interim members of the University may experience difficulty accessing content on the restricted access pages.
The following content is exempt from the ‘The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018’:
As a Library-managed archive preserving a collection of scientific interest, the Research Data Archive publishes downloadable datasets created during research activities from a range of disciplines in a wide variety of file formats. These files may have been created by bespoke software to discipline standards. We are responsible for preserving the content in formats that may not meet WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. You might experience difficulty accessing this content.
Some datasets may include links to content hosted on external websites that are not owned, paid for, or developed by the University of Bath. This content may not be accessible.
Embedded maps may not be accessible as these maps are not intended for navigational use.
Some dataset records contain pre-recorded embedded videos hosted on third party websites. Pre-recorded videos published before 23 September 2020 do not include captions or transcripts. Please note that not all pre-recorded time-based media contain dialogue.
If you cannot access any information available on the Research Data Archive website and would like to request an alternative format, for example, an accessible PDF, large print document, easy read version, audio recording or braille copy, please email: research-data@bath.ac.uk. We will try to provide you with an alternative version; however, there may be situations where this is not possible.
If you find an accessibility problem that isn't listed, please contact the Library’s Research Data Service: research-data@bath.ac.uk.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for making sure organisations meet the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. If you are unhappy with our response, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) for further advice.