Accessibility
Accessibility statement for www.sra.org.uk
This accessibility statement applies to the websites www.sra.org.uk (SRA) and my.sra.org.uk (mySRA).
The SRA website is run by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. When using this website you should be able to:
- navigate the website using a keyboard
- use the site with a screen reader
- zoom in to 500% without text going off the screen
SRA (www.sra.org.uk)
This website is the main content site publishing the regulations and rules of being a solicitor. It also offers advice to consumers, trainees and students.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- Most of our PDFs are not fully accessible, but we publish an accessible HTML version of most content.
Technical information about this website's accessibility
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility standards
Correct destination in menu
The menu currently uses links that do not have a correct destination. This fails 1.3.1 Info and Relationships of WCAG 2.2.
Textarea
The Standards and Regulations use textarea to aid the copying of correctly formatted rules. These elements require descriptions to be fully accessible or the element replaced.
Element IDs are not unique
Element IDs are not unique. This can make it difficult for assistive technologies to understand the content (4.1.1: Parsing)
Container element is empty
A container element is empty. This can make it difficult for users of assistive technologies to understand the content. (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
Scrollable element is not keyboard accessible
A scrollable element is not keyboard accessible. This can make it difficult for users of assistive technologies to interact with the content. (2.1.1: Keyboard)
Text is clipped when resized
Text is clipped when the page is resized. This can make it difficult for users to read the text. (1.4.4: Resize text)
Role not inside the required context
A role is not inside the required context. This can make it difficult for users of assistive technologies to understand the content. (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
Table cell missing context
A table cell is missing context. This can make it difficult for users to understand the relationship between the cell and the rest of the table. (1.3.1: Info and Relationships)
Button missing a text alternative
A button is missing a text alternative. This can make it difficult for users who cannot see the button to understand what it does. (4.1.2: Name, Role, Value)
Form field missing a label
A form field is missing a label. This can make it difficult for users to understand what the field is for and how to fill it out. (4.1.2: Name, Role, Value)
Link missing a text alternative
A link is missing a text alternative. This can make it difficult for users who cannot see the link to understand where it goes. (2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context), 2.4.9: Link Purpose (Link Only), 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value)
mySRA (my.sra.org.uk)
This website is the customer portal or transactional website for the people and firms we regulate. It allows users to update the information on record with us, submit new information and applications, and make payments.
How accessible mySRA is
We know multiple parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- The presentation of content relies on the user having Javascript enabled.
- In smaller devices, at higher zoom levels, tables will go off the side of the page.
- Assistive technology users will find that some forms are difficult to complete.
Please contact us if you have difficulties accessing any part of our website or mySRA as a result of incompatibility with your assistive technology.
Technical information about the accessibility of mySRA
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 A/AA standard.
The non-accessible content is part of a release dating from late September 2021. We are working to address the issues. They will be removed from this statement when they are no longer applicable.
The content is non-accessible for the reasons outlined below.
Summary
The content of my.sra.org.uk presents a range of challenges for assistive technology users. The following list includes characteristics and behaviours of tables, inputs, labels, hyperlinks and buttons. Characteristics of page structure, such as headings and navigation, as well as less specific elements of the experience such as colour contrast also pose challenges to assistive technology users who try to access this content.
Open allGeneral
- The new applications page has a design that looks like a tab, but is two separate pages. As a result it has no indication which tab is selected. This is a Level A defect.
- There is no link to skip to the main content. This would help keyboard users avoid repeated navigation. This is a Level A defect.
Notifications
- Status messages are removed from the screen after a set period of time and not by user interaction. This is a Level A defect.
- Vision impaired assistive technology users will not be informed about:
- system message updates, e.g. file uploads
- page updates, e.g. search results appearing
- validation errors, e.g. incomplete answers
Colour
- Using high contrast mode will not display which radio button is selected as the background colour and button colour are the same. This is a Level AAA defect.
- Colour contrast does not meet the required standards in several places, these are:
- The colour contrast on the reCAPTCHA challenge when creating an account does not meet required standards.
- The colour, or background colour, of social links, the sorting arrow control for tables and the Save and Exit buttons.
- The focus indicator on pagination controls and on the Clear Search button. Radio buttons are missing a focus indicator.
- Text in the form field placeholder text, pop-up system notifications, and some supplementary text.
Tables
- There are tables that have empty column headers which may be confusing. Some tables also have no table cells until the table is populated with data. Tables are also missing captions to describe the content inside the table. These are Level A defects.
Focus
- Keyboard users will not be able to see focus on reCAPTCHA challenges.
- There are multiple text input boxes that are not reachable via keyboard input. This is a Level A defect.
- Several non-interactive elements and read-only elements can be focused on by keyboard users where other users are not allowed to interact with the control. This is a Level A defect.
- Dynamic updates to pages won't have the page focus set to a logical place in the page. In some cases the keyboard focus order might not be the same as the visual order.
- The mySRA login page, which uses a service provided by Microsoft, has a keyboard focus order that is not the same as the visual display. This issue has been raised with Microsoft This is a Level A defect.
- Accordions will not open for some keyboard users. Accordions opening will push the user's focus position back to the top of the page. This is a Level A defect.
Labels
- Several labels for form fields are not linked to the the relevant input, screen reader users won't be informed of the questions for each input and voice assisted users won't be able to select the inputs by the question. Some labels are using non-unique ID tags and this could lead to wrong labels being associated with inputs. This is a Level A defect.
- Some radio button questions are not grouped together under a common label. This may confuse users that cannot see the main question. This is a Level A defect.
- Some buttons, such as Add and Edit, are not labelled clearly and users may not understand what function they relate to. This is a Level A defect.
- The pagination controls are not clearly labelled for assistive technology users and when moving between pages users will not be informed which page they are currently on. This is a Level A defect.
- Search functions use links with poor label descriptions to submit the search instead of using buttons. This is a Level A defect.
Headings
- Headings in the progress panel are not in the correct hierarchy. This a Level A defect.
- Some sections are missing clear headings or have text styled as headings without the correct heading level in the code. This is a Level A defect.
- Screen reader users on mobile will not be able to locate headings. This is a Level A defect.
Links
- Assistive technology users are not informed when links might open in new windows. This is a Level AAA defect.
- Some icons do not have sufficient accompanying text or attributes to explain what the icons mean or what will happen they are clicked on. This is a Level A defect.
- Some buttons are visually styled as links but act as buttons which may lead to confusion about what happens when the item is clicked. This is a Level A defect.
- Some lists are structurally broken down into smaller lists. Vision impaired users will hear multiple lists instead of a single list with multiple items. This is a Level A defect.
ARIA attributes
- Accordions and tabs have incorrect role attributes that will be announced to assistive technology users.
- The application summary screen includes an accordion with a nested control to edit the section. Some assistive technology users will not be able to activate the edit button.
- Navigation regions on pages do not have unique titles. Assistive technology users will not be able to distinguish which region they are looking at. This is a Level A defect.
- Some links do not use descriptive text to help users understand what a link might do or which page it might open.
- Page titles do not change as the user progresses through a form, screen readers may not be aware pages of the form have changed. This is a Level A defect.
Zoom
- Text and controls may not be visible to users zoomed in to a page, e.g. 200% at 1076x768. This is a Level AA defect.
- The Search and Clear All button on the My Applications page do not work. This is a Level A defect.
Images
- The icon size for the button to edit a breach is below the required 44px by 44px. This is a Level A defect.
If you need information on this website in a different format such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please read our reasonable adjustments policy.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We are working to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page, or if you think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us.
Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are designed to be fully portable or visually appealing versions of reports that we have written. These are not tested for accessibility. In most cases, we publish an accessible HTML version alongside the PDF.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. As technology catches up, we hope to enable automatic live captioning for the live video events.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 18 December 2020 and updated on 21 September 2023.