Accessibility

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Accessibility statement for Tyne and Wear Pension Fund

This accessibility statement applies to twpf.info

This website is run by South Tyneside Council.

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

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

It can be difficult to use this website on a mobile phone
You can't zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
On some parts of the website, the colour contrast makes it hard to read text
On some pages, headings are not in the right order
When navigating with a keyboard, it isn't always clear to see which link or element is highlighted
We link to some online services that are not under our control and we cannot guarantee their accessibility

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

call 0191 424 4141
write to us at The Pensions Office
Town Hall and Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields
Tyne and Wear
NE33 2RL

We'll consider your request and get back to you.

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, email customerhelp@southtyneside.gov.uk or call 0191 427 7000.

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).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Find out more about how to contact us.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

South Tyneside Council is committed to making this 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 and exemptions listed below.

Non accessible content

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

Non compliance with the accessibility regulations

Colour contrast

On some parts of the website, the colour contrast between the text and background is not sufficient. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.6 (contrast, enhanced).

Headings

On some pages, the headings are missing text. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criteria:
- 1.3.1 (info and relationships)
- 2.4.10 (section headings)
On some pages, headings are not nested properly. This doesn't meet WCAG2.1 success criterion 2.4.10 (section headings). We are in process of removing these tags across the website, and plan to have fixed this issue across all pages by October 2020.

Forms

On some pages, input fields have no description. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).

Other issues

On some parts of the website, the label for the form control is not connected to anything. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
On parts of the website, there is no option to skip content repeated on multiple web pages. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (bypass blocks).
On some pages the HTML is used to format content. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships).
When navigating with a keyboard, it isn't always clear to see which link or element is highlighted. This doesn't meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (focus visible).

PDFs and Word documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and some forms published as PDF and Word documents. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
Some PDFs and Word documents published after 23 September 2018 do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they're accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

We are continuing to work through these accessibility issues. We are making sure any new content or digital services we build meet accessibility standards.

Disproportionate burden

Following an assessment, if we decide that meeting an accessibility requirement would be a disproportionate burden, we will explain this here and provide details of how you can request the information in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.

Something which is a disproportionate burden now will not necessarily be a disproportionate burden forever. If circumstances change, we will re-assess whether we can provide the information in an accessible format.

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.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to provide a text only format for pre-recorded videos published before 23 September 2020.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 17 November 2019. It was last reviewed on 17 September 2020.

This website was last tested on 16 September 2020. The test was carried out by South Tyneside Council.

We tested all pages on our website, twpf.info, including:

Homepage
Menu pages
Content pages

Tyne & Wear Pension Fund