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Primo (OneSearch) Accessibility Statement

Primo is Partially Accessible

The University of Cumbria take accessibility very seriously and want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. We are actively working to make the website more accessible to all people and compliant with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1.

The University of Cumbria use Primo VE as opposed to Classic or New UI Primo. All references to Primo refer to Primo VE. 

The Primo Platform is developed to meet the WCAG AA standards which is detailed in the system Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and a Basic Check carried out by the University of Cumbria

View our accessibility tools page to find accessibility tools and plugins to help improve your online experience.

You should be able to:

  • understand the website text
  • change colours and contrast levels using browser extensions
  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate some content using just a keyboard
  • be able to understand hyperlink destinations from the text description
  • navigate to all headings on the page using assistive technology
  • use text to speech tools to access content
  • Skip links to by-pass blocks of content where required e.g. menus, Twitter feeds
  • listen to the website using a screen reader

How accessible is Primo?

  • At 200% the viewer does not reflow
  • At 300% text is lost or interfered
  • The Pdf is difficult to navigate when zoomed past 175% as it doesn’t reflow.
  • Some colours and contrasts fail guidelines
  • Some page Titles are absent
  • No Alternative text on book jacket image

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

Self-help options

Alternative Formats

The University subscribes to an alternative formats service Sensus Access. This service will transfer most files into a chosen format e.g. an inaccessible PDF can be transferred to an accessible PDF, or a Word document can be transferred to sound. This service can be used directly by Students using their University email address. Alternative Formats

 

Assistive Technologies

You can access specialist assistive software on PCs and laptops throughout the university and also download free web based tools to enable you to fully interact with content. To find out more visit the assistive software page or download the AT Bar for free. 

University of Cumbria Support

If you are unable to access content or interact with the interface and would like an alternative accessible format, please contact us to discuss the most suitable options, please contact:

We will review your request and communicate with you in 7 days.

Reporting Accessibility Problems with this Website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. You can help us by reporting any barriers you encounter and contribute to our Accessibility Improvement plan. however if you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact itservicedesk@cumbria.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 complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this web-based system’s accessibility levels

The University of Cumbria is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

There is further information included in the ExLibris Support Accessibility page including the supplier's assessment using a Voluntary Product Accessiblity Template (VPAT).

Non-accessible content

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

1. Non-compliance with accessibility regulations

  • At 200% the Alma Viewer does not reflow text making it difficult to read and interact with enlarged text.
  • At 300% text is lost or interferes with the menu bar
  • ‘Signed in as’ appears behind the ‘My Account’ bar

These issues contravene WCAG2.1 – 1.4.4, 1.4.5, 1.4.10. This is a system issue, which we are currently communicating with the system owners to explore a resolution. The issue is included in the Accessibility Improvement Plan and monitored to ensure improvement the Statement is updated annually.

  • Some colours and contrasts fail the WCAG checkpoints
    • ‘Load more results’ Foreground colour needs changing on the Cumbria Collections page
    • ‘Top Menu Bar’ Foreground colour of text needs altering on Cumbria Collections page
    • ‘My Account Area’ Foreground text colour needs altering on Cumbria Collections page
    • ‘Yellow sign-in bar’ Foreground colour of text needs to be altered for ‘Sign in’
    • ‘Full Results’ Page need text colour changing for links
    • ‘Journals by category’ Page, Links in the left Menu bar text colour needs altering

This prevents users with a visual impairment and in some cases any user to interact with the page affecting the user experience. This contravenes the WCAG2.1 – 1.4.1, 1.4.3, 1.4.11 regulations and has been added to the Accessibility Action Plan. We are currently in communication with the System developer to discuss the changes needed and timescale. This page is updated annually. 

  • Focus is not very clear on icons, however, Focus Indicator browser extension allows you to change the colour and line thickness. This issue makes it difficult for non-mouse users to navigate the page and interact with objects. This contravenes the WCAG2.1 - 2.4.7 and is an issue we plan to resolve. We have added the issue to the Accessibility Action Plan for monitoring the improvements needed. The Page is updated annually.
  • Some page titles are absent
    • Advanced Search Page

This makes it more difficult for sight-impaired users to navigate the pages or create high-quality alternative formats. This contravenes WCAG2.1 – 2.4.2 and we encourage users to contact the helpdesk for 1:1 support accessing the system. We are currently communicating with the 3rd party supplier to find out if this issue can be corrected. The issue will be monitored by the Accessibility Action Plan. This statement is updated annually.

  • Some pages are not fully accessible by the keyboard only these include:
    • Cumbria Collections Results Page

This means that keyboard-only users cannot access these two pages. We offer 1:1 support via the library or helpdesk to support the user in the short term, however we have added the issue to Accessibility Action Plan to put the issue right. We are in communication with ExLibris to correct the issues described. The statement is updated annually or when issues are resolved.

2. Disproportionate Burden

The changes needed to achieve AA WCAG Guidelines and meet the Web Accessibility Regulations will be achieved through a planned accessibility improvement action plan to be reviewed and updated a minimum of 12 monthly.

3. Content that’s not within the Scope of the Accessibility Regulations

  • Pdfs do not reflow when zoomed in to 175% or structured so they are accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2. However this is currently outside the scope of the regulations. We have however added the issue to the Accessibility Action Plan and are exploring updating the documents over the next 12 months.

How we tested this Website

We tested the most visited pages both manually and with the use of accessibility testing software such as Wave, a web accessibility evaluation tool WAVE and Accessibility Insights. This system was last tested on December 2024 by University of Cumbria.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are continuously working to improve the accessibility levels of Primo. A Basic Accessibility Check is carried out each year followed by a more detailed accessibility check, both assessments highlight the areas needing improvement. The identified issues are added to the system improvement action plan with a timescale for improvement or 3rd party communications on improvement.

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