Accessibility statement

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 website accessible to as many people as possible.

Measures to support accessibility

This accessibility statement applies to (this will open in a new window)https://www.readingschools.scot/. This website was built to WCAG 2.1 AA standard by our digital agency, Primate, and is run by Scottish Book Trust. 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

(this will open in a new window)AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

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:

• The Reading Schools Map cannot be navigated using keyboard or screen reader technology only
• There are a few instances where the background colours and text we use do not have sufficient colour contrast
• Most older PDF and Microsoft Office documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
• Some of our online forms, including the Level Quiz, are difficult to navigate using keyboard navigation and screen reader technology 
• Select areas of the website (including forms, the cookie consent banner, collapsible elements, bullet lists, filters, disabled buttons / sections, and elements of action and evidence plans) are difficult to navigate using keyboard navigation only and screen reader technology
• Our cookie consent banner is difficult to using navigate using keyboard navigation and screen reader technology 
• There are some website locations where the focus indicator temporarily disappears, and keyboard navigation gets stuck
• There are a few instances of skipped, missing or incorrect heading levels
• Link text is not always accessible. 
• There are issues with the ‘skip to main content’ link on some pages
• Page title tags are not always unique
• The formatting of links and headings in the website footer requires review

Feedback and contact information

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or need information on this website in a different format, contact us at (this will open in a new window)digital@scottishbooktrust.com or by calling 0131 524 0160.

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 complaint, (this will open in a new window)contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting our office

Unfortunately, our office at Sandeman House is not wheelchair accessible at this time. However, there may be something we can do to accommodate persons with certain mobility impairments. Please note, Sandeman House does not currently have an induction loop. If you have any questions regarding access to the building or gardens, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Meg Elphee on 0131 524 0173 or email (this will open in a new window)Meg.Elphee@scottishbooktrust.com.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Scottish Book Trust is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the (this will open in a new window)Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

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 (this will open in a new window)Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 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

• Our interactive map is not fully accessible for people using keyboard navigation only and / or screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard. To combat this issue, there is an option for users to download a machine-readable CSV file which details all the information presented in the map. This is presented above the map itself, meaning screen reader users in particular will encounter this information first. 
• The visual presentation of text does not always have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, meaning it can not always be read by people with moderately low vision (who do not use contrast-enhancing assistive technology). This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum). The majority of colour contrast issues on the website were resolved in 2021–22, but there are a handful of issues on the map page, within download widgets, and within disabled form fields that need to be fixed. We have raised this with our development agency and will update this statement once resolved.
• Some of the older Microsoft Office and PDF documents on our website are not fully accessible to screen reader software. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content. In 2021–22 we created and implemented the use of accessible document templates supported by organisation-wide training. All new Microsoft Office and PDF documents uploaded to our website are created using our accessible templates. 
• Some of our online forms, including the Level Quiz, are not fully accessible to screen reader software and can be confusing to navigate. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. Where possible, we use custom-built HTML web forms. However, in some cases Word document forms and third-party tools such as SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and Microsoft forms are used on a case-by-case basis. We have raised all accessibility issues with our current custom-built forms to our development agency and are working to resolve these. We will also apply learning to any new forms created for the website. We will ensure that alternative methods of completing forms remain available while we investigate new solutions and finalise development work.
• Select areas of the website are difficult to navigate using keyboard navigation only and screen reader technology. Areas affected include but are not limited to forms, the cookie consent banner, collapsible elements, bullet lists, filters, disabled buttons / sections, and elements of action and evidence plans. This fails WCAG success criteria 2.4.3 Focus Order and 2.4.7 Focus Visible. We have raised individual issues within our accessibility report and are working with our digital agency to fix them.
• Our cookie consent banner is currently keyboard inaccessible. We use a third-party platform, CookieYes, to power our cookie consent banner. Fixing this keyboard navigation issue is within CookieYes’ pipeline for future developments, but we will review progress approaching our renewal date (early 2023) for the platform. If the issue remains unresolved at this point, we will investigate an accessible alternative. Our website will only enable analytics tracking when a user actively accepts cookies, so if no action is taken then no tracking will occur. We want to ensure all users have the option to accept, decline and customise their cookie preferences and are investigating a solution with high priority. 
• The focus indicator disappears temporarily when navigating the top navigation menu. This means that users who rely on keyboard navigation or who have visual impairments may get stuck within this location and struggle to navigate the site. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible. This is a high priority issue and we are working with our website developers to identify and implement a solution.
• There are some instances of skipped, missing or incorrect heading levels. This can cause confusion and problems for screen reader software, failing WCAG success criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks, and 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. We are reviewing our default heading settings and making updates to resolve this issue.  
• Link text is not always accessible. For example, we use the same link text for different destinations in evidence plans and the homepage. This prevents assistive technology users from understanding the destination of specific links and causes confusion, failing WCAG success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context). We have raised individual issues within our accessibility report and are working with our digital agency to fix them.   
• There are issues with the skip link ('skip to main content') on certain pages. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks. We have raised these issues with our digital agency and will update this statement once a fix has been implemented. 
• Page title tags are not always unique. This makes it difficult for assistive technology users to identify their current location and the topic or purpose of a given webpage, failing WCAG success criterion 2.4.2 Page Titled. We are addressing this issue as part of ongoing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work and will update this statement once page title tags have been updated.
• We are aware that the formatting of links and headings in the website footer requires review. This covers a range of issues from ensuring footer links are distinguished by more than just colour to assigning role elements correctly. We are in the process of reviewing the footer and will update this statement once fixes are in place.

Disproportionate burden

No content currently fits within this category. We will update this if necessary when the statement is next reviewed.

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

• Some of our digital versions of print documents are not fully accessible. We provide digital versions of some of our print resources (e.g. posters, badges etc.) for users to download, print and use at home. Some of these documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software as they are designed for physical rather than digital use. For new content, we will clearly signpost when documents are intended for physical use and any limitations for screen reader users. We will always aim to prepare digital versions of print resources in line with digital and print accessibility guidelines.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 23/02/21. It was last reviewed on 28/11/22. 

This website was last tested on 20/09/22. 

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 (this will open in a new window)digital@scottishbooktrust.com if you wish to read the full accessibility test report.