Accessibility statement for www.exeter.ac.uk

This accessibility statement applies to content published by the University’s Web Content Management System (Web CMS) to www.exeter.ac.uk and associated university department sub domains:

University of Exeter Departments
Arab and Islamic Studies	Earth and Environmental Sciences	Health and Care Professions	Physics and Astronomy
Archaeology and History	Ecology and Conservation	Language Centre	Psychology
Biosciences	School of Education	Law School	Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Business School	Engineering	Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies	Sport
Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology	English and Creative Writing	Mathematics and Statistics	Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology
Communications, Drama and Film	Fundraising	Medical School	www.exeter.ac.uk
Clinical Education Development and Research	Geography	Natural Sciences	www.exeterinnovation.com
Computer Science	Humanities and Social Sciences, Cornwall	News archive

This statement does not apply to content on subdomains at blogs.exeter.ac.uk, sites.exeter.ac.uk, or projects.exeter.ac.uk.

This website is run by the University of Exeter.

How you should be able to use this website

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 170% 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. 

How accessible this website is

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

• some pages and document attachments are not written in plain English
• some tables do not have row or column headers
• some documents have poor colour contrast
• some heading elements are not consistent
• some images do not have image descriptions
• some images used to convey information have poor colour contrast
• some information in tables cannot be reached with a keyboard
• many documents are in PDF format and are not accessible

Feedback and contact information

If you:

• experience problems whilst using assistive software to access our site,
• need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF or Word document, audio recording or braille
• have any other feedback

Please contact the digital team at digitalteam@exeter.ac.uk.

In your message, please include any of the following:

• the web address (URL) of the content
• your email address and name
• the format you need.

Our Contact page lists other departments you can call for information.

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, contact the digital team - digitalteam@exeter.ac.uk.

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 accessibility-related issue, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Exeter 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 and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

1. Links are difficult to see or identify. Links must be visually distinguishable and not rely on color alone. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Color).
2. Link is missing an accessible name. Links require a clear accessible name so screen readers can announce their purpose. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
3. Complex data table lacks proper header associations. Complex tables must programmatically link headers and data cells. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
4. Image missing alt text. Alt text is required so non‑visual users receive equivalent information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non‑text Content).
5. Iframe missing an accessible name. Iframes need a descriptive title that identifies their content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
6. Layout tables should not use summary attributes. Layout tables must not use attributes intended for data tables. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
7. Scrollable content not keyboard accessible. Keyboard‑only users must be able to access and operate scrollable regions. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
8. Heading missing an accessible name. Headings require text so assistive technologies can identify sections. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
9. Button missing an accessible name. Buttons must announce their action via an accessible name. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
10. Table header not associated with data cells. Data tables require programmatic header–cell relationships. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
11. Presentation‑only elements contain focusable content. Decorative elements should not appear in the focus order. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
12. Form field missing an accessible name. Form controls need accessible names to describe required inputs. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
13. Page missing a language attribute. A primary language must be declared in the HTML. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.1 (Language of Page).
14. Layout table includes a caption. Captions are for data tables; layout tables must not include them. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
15. Incorrect ARIA usage. Incorrect ARIA roles or attributes can cause assistive technologies to misinterpret content. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
16. Hidden element is still focusable. Hidden content must not receive keyboard focus. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
17. Page is missing a title. Every page needs a descriptive, meaningful title. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
18. Text fails minimum contrast requirements. Text must meet minimum color contrast so users with low vision or contrast sensitivity can read it comfortably. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast Minimum).
19. Link text fails minimum contrast requirements. Links need higher contrast because they serve as key navigation elements; poor contrast makes them hard to identify. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast Minimum).
20. Element language attribute has an invalid language tag. Language attributes must use valid BCP 47 codes. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts).

Disproportionate burden

At this current time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

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

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.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are working alongside other university departments and partners to fix content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 11 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 5 March 2026. 

This website was last tested on 6 March 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA. The test was carried out using the Acquia Web Governance and the Axe browser extension.