Accessibility

Information about how accessible the Open Digital Badges platform is and where to get help using it with assistive technologies.

Accessibility Statement for BadgEd Open Digital Badges

Website accessibility statement inline with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to the Open Digital Badges service (https://uoe.eu.badgr.com/).

This website is operated by the Digital Learning, Applications and Media (DLAM) team within Learning, Teaching and Web Services Directorate, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh, based on the Parchment Digital Badges (Instructure) platform (formerly Canvas Credentials - Instructure). 

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • Use your browser settings, change colours, contrast levels and fonts to some extent,
  • Zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen,
  • Experience no time limits when using the site. 

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

Customising the website

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible.

AbilityNet - My Computer My Way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate.

Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service.

Information on SensusAccess

How accessible this website is

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

  • Not all content can be accessed by keyboard only
  • Keyboard navigation does not always follow a logical sequence
  • It is not always clear where a user has keyboard navigated too
  • There is not always an operational skip to main content option
  • Navigation is not always consistent
  • There are pop ups and new browser tabs that open without alerting the user
  • Not all non-text items have appropriate alt text
  • The site is not fully compatible with assistive technology such as screen readers and voice recognition software
  • The mobile app is not fully compatible with device accessibility and customisation functionalities
  • Links do not always have meaningful hypertext
  • There are missing form labels and lack of heading structures
  • There is movement that cannot be paused by the end user
  • There are some areas with low colour contrast.
  • Error suggestions could be clearer and provide more information
  • Touch targets do not meet the minimum size
  • Some tooltips block other content and contain information needed for the operation of the icon.
  • Tooltips are not always accessible by mouse or assistive software 

Feedback and Contact Information

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

We will consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are 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, please contact us.

We will consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly.

Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) 

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues. 

Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website 

British Sign Language service

British Sign Language service 

Contact Scotland BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates from 8.00am to 12.00am, 7 days a week. 

Contact Scotland BSL service details 

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites and applications 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 (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below. 

The full guidelines are available at: 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard 

Non accessible content

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

Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations

The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:

At this time, we believe all issues are out with our control and have advised the supplier accordingly. We will continue working with the supplier to address any issues outside our control. While the supplier has provided us with an updated VPAT dated July 2025, we will not rely solely on their assessment. Instead, we will conduct independent accessibility testing as the issues are resolved.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix.

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

At this time, we do not believe that any content is outside the scope of the accessibility regulations.  

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

At this time, we believe most issues are outwith our control and we have advised the supplier. The supplier has informed us thy will continue to make accessibility improvements during 2026 and we will continue to liaise with them regarding this.  We expect any issues within our control to be resolved or significantly improved by January 2027.

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, or where we are unable, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 6 February 2023. It was last reviewed and updated on 8 April 2026.

This website was last tested by the University of Edinburgh’s DLAM team in January 2026, using both automated and manual methods via the following browsers: Mozilla Firefox (140.7.0esr), Microsoft Edge (143.0.3650.139) and Google Chrome (144.0.7559.60) as well as on mobile devices using Android and iOS for comparative purposes. 

Edge, Firefox and especially Chrome are considered the popular browsers when using a screenreader, as confirmed by current world-wide usage levels for different screen readers and browsers:

WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey

The aforementioned three browsers have been used in certain questions for reasons of breadth and variety.

We ran automated testing using AXE Devtools and then manual testing that included:

  • Spell check functionality;
  • Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc);
  • Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
  • Warning of links opening in new tab or window;
  • Information conveyed in the colour or sound only;
  • Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
  • Use with screen reading software (for example JAWS); Assistive software (TextHelp Read and Write, Windows Magnifier, ZoomText, Dragon Naturally Speaking, TalkBack and VoiceOver);
  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
  • Time limits;
  • Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS);
  • Any drag functionality and alternatives;
  • Consistent help function;
  • Submission and re-entry of data;
  • Any cognitive tests.

Change log

Since our initial report, we have undertaken more extensive manual testing with assistive software to get a better understanding of the accessibility issues on this website. This section will receive updates as and when accessibility improvements are made to the website.

January 2026

  • Badge images have alt text that can be edited by the badge creator.
  • Keyboard navigation has improved, and the only area that is not accessible has a keyboard and screen reader friendly alternative
  • Continuous capitals have been removed
  • Improved compatibility of site with browser customisation to allow users more control and functionality; no content is lost with customisation (analytics charts)

January 2025

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