Accessibility statement for communities-ni.gov.uk

How you should be able to use this website

This website is run by the Department for Communities. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:

• zoom in up to 300% without problems
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

How accessible this website is

Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:

• some pages and document attachments are not clearly written
• some tables do not have row or column headers
• some heading elements are not consistent
• some complex images do not have sufficient descriptions
• some video content does not have a text alternative
• many documents are in PDF and MS Office formats and are not accessible

Feedback and contact information

If you need information in a different format contact us by using the feedback form and tell us:

• the web address (URL) of the content
• your name and email address
• the format you need, for example, audio CD, braille, BSL or large print, accessible PDF

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are 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, contact us by using the feedback form and our Corporate Communications team will investigate the issue.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland.

If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 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 content that is not accessible is outlined below with details of:

• the accessibility problem(s)
• where it fails the success criteria, and
• when we plan to fix it

Page Structure

There are a small number of pages which do not use a consistent or appropriate use of headings. This may result in a loss of meaning for users of screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to repair these pages by Spring 2027.

There are a small number of pages with lists which may not be adequately structured. This may result in a loss of meaning for users of screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to repair these pages by Spring 2027.

When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of headers and formatting of lists meet accessibility standards.

PDFs and other documents

Between September 2020 and June 2022, we reviewed all documents published since September 2018 and took actions to make them compliant with legislation.

PDFs and other documents published since 23 September 2020 will meet the required accessibility standards. In most instances, the accessibility of these materials will be checked using the on-board tools within MS Office 365 (or newer) and Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020.

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. As a result we will not be fixing these but we do conduct reviews of content each year to ensure it remains current and accurate.

Images and Video

Most images on the site are in news releases which should contain alternative text. Videos that we produce and that are embedded on the site should have subtitles enabled.

Content published since 23 September 2020 meets the required accessibility standards. 

Tables

A small number of pages have tables which do not have row or column headers and are non-accessible. This may result in a loss of meaning for users of screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We plan to repair these pages by Spring 2027.

Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

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

As a website published before 23 September 2018, we are required to comply with the web accessibility regulations from 23 September 2020.

However, some of our content is exempt from the accessibility regulations:

• pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020
• heritage collections
• PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 - unless required for the use of a service, for example a form
• maps
• third party content that is not within our control, for example, embedded video players like Vimeo or YouTube, and embedded Google Maps.

If you have any problems using this website, tell us using the feedback form and our Communications & Engagement Unit will investigate the issue and/or provide you with the information you need in an alternative format.

How we tested this website

This website is tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 level A and level AA, and tests have been carried out externally and independently.

We used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) approach to deciding on a sample of pages to test.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We plan to identify and fix issues according to the timescales shown for each area above.

We conduct annual reviews of content and accessibility will be one of the areas we check. We conform to the Northern Ireland Civil Service web style guide for all our HTML content.

In addition, we have added the following procedures to our content creation process:

• we use Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro accessibility checkers to identify problems and fix these before publication
• we have incorporated WCAG 2.2 requirements into design and print contracts to ensure professionally produced documents meet the standards
• where branches commission reports from external bodies, they are required to make WCAG 2.2 standards part of the contract specification
• we have made accessibility guidance available on our staff intranet for all staff drafting web content and all web content authors are required to complete a website accessibility training course.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was first prepared on 18 September 2020. It was last updated on 11 September 2026.