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Digital Communications

Accessibility Statement

Dublin City University is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020.

This statement applies to content published on www.dcu.ie.

 

Compliance Status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level AA, due to the non-accessible content below. 

 

Non- accessible content

Should you wish to contact us regarding accessibility, please see the feedback and contact information section below. We will do our best to ensure that any content you are requesting is made available and accessible. 

We are working continuously to improve accessibility on our website(s).

Non-accessible content is listed below

  • Images: Not all images on dcu.ie have photo (or meta-) descriptions. If images do not have correct captions or descriptions, then a user using assistive technologies will not learn the image conveyed in the image (WCAG guideline 1.3.1) 
  • Tables: Some tables on dcu.ie do not have correctly defined headers. This makes it harder for people using screen readers or voice recognition software to read content on the site. (WCAG guideline 1.3.1)
  • PDFs: Many documents are published as PDFs - which are less accessible than HTML pages for people using assistive technologies. 
  • Word documents: We have a number of downloadable word documents - which are less accessible than HTML pages for people using assistive technology 
  • Infographics: We have a number of infographics with text which do not have correct descriptions, meaning a user using assistive technologies will not learn of the information contained in the graphic

This content is not an exhaustive list of non-accessible content.

 

Exempted Content

PDF documents that were published before 23 September 2018 are exempt from these guidelines except where it is related to a service that a member of the public has to use. 

Videos or audio published before 23 September 2020 are exempt from these guidelines.

 

How we test the dcu.ie site 

We use the WCAG level AA guidelines to test how accessible dcu.ie is. We used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) approach to assess the site.

We have completed accessibility audits and have carried out user testing on the site. We will continue to do this.

 

How we are going to improve accessibility on dcu.ie

We are working with faculties, departments and units across DCU to ensure they are publishing content in HTML pages in the first instance, instead of using less accessible formats like PDF. In the small number of instances where we have to use Word/PDF, then we will use necessary tools to ensure they are accessible.

Photo descriptions have been mandatory since September 2020 and we are working with our editors to find legacy images that have not been properly described. All videos are captioned.

 

Feedback and contact information

Dublin City University is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for persons with disabilities.

If you have comments or complaints about the accessibility of this website, please email our Accessibility Officer (students) Anne O'Connor at anne.oconnor@dcu.ie.

If you wish to request particular content in an accessible format, please include the following details: 

  • Your required format
  • The content you wish to receive (include URL of content)
  • Your name and email address

We will make all reasonable efforts to fulfil your request.

If you are not happy with our response, you can make a complaint to the Ombudsman under the Disability Act. 


This statement was reviewed and updated on January, 26th, 2023.