Communications have been working with web champions on reviewing low-traffic articles and we managed to remove 120 pages as a result – a big thank you to everyone who has been involved.
Now all departments in MVDC who owe any of the remaining web pages are working towards 11 March deadline to make them accessible doing one of the following:
· removing the document
· converting it into a web page
· making it accessible
· providing a valid disproportionate burden assessment if there is no other way
Communications will be removing any PDFs that fail to meet one of the above categories after 11 March to meet the Cabinet Office requirements.
New documents
From now on, it is essential that all new pdfs published on the website are created using accessible templates. If this cannot be done, then a full, written assessment must be completed by the department and provided to communications to add to the Accessibility page of our website.
This assessment must show strong evidence why it isn’t possible and why is a disproportionate burden for the organisation to make it accessible.
Accessibility guidance can be found here: https://stagingmolly.molevalley.gov.uk/accessibility/
What happens if we don’t do this?
If we don’t comply with the accessibility legal regulations, the Cabinet Office can refer our case to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), who are responsible for enforcement. Public sector sites without accurate accessibility statements will be published by the Cabinet Office.
Will the Cabinet Office be carrying out future audits?
Yes, this is made clear in their report. They will also be re-checking our site in March to make sure we have fixed the issues they identified.
Is it only documents which are affected
No, documents are just one area we need to fix issues. The legislation applies to all our websites and customer facing applications.
For further information, support, and advice
Please contact Communications at webteam@molevalley.gov.uk