Accessibility
Accessibility Statement for www.dorsetcouncilhomechoice.org.uk
This accessibility statement applies to https://www.dorsetcouncilhomechoice.org.uk/
This website is run by Dorset Council and Huume. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Dorset Council is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
-
some PDF documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
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:
We will provide an initial response within 5 working days.
Reporting accessibility issues with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations please contact Dorset Council's Housing team.
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).
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
1.1.1 Non-text content
Logos used in the footer of the site have title attributes used with empty alternative text. This issue exists across all pages of the site.
On the navigation menu in the account area, the icon displaying the number of messages on your account do not display to screen readers.
On the application form, an icon of a lightbulb next to some questions does not have an accessible alternative.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text content).
1.3.1 Info and relationships
Some pages are missing headings, particularly heading level one. This issue is present across the site.
On the application form, the different sections of the form are displayed in a navigation structure using a mix of buttons and lists. This makes it difficult for screen reader users to follow the navigation structure.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships).
1.4.3 Contrast minimum
On the ‘Actions’ page in your account, the blue text in the ‘You said’ box and the green text in the ‘We did’ boxes do not have sufficient colour contrast.
On some form fields on the application form such as ‘Name of person completing the form’ and ‘Please explain the reason for completing the form’, the grey text is not sufficient contrast with the grey form field background.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast minimum). We are working with our supplier to address these issues by September 2025.
1.4.11 Non-text contrast
On the ‘login page’ the email address and password form fields do not have sufficient colour contrast with the background colour of the page.
On the ‘create a new account’ page, the form fields do not have sufficient colour contrast with the background colour of the page.
On an individual property page, the colour contrast on the image captions is not sufficient.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.11 (Non-text contrast).
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose
On the ‘login’ page the email address and password form fields do not identify their purpose programmatically.
On the application form, the field for address is not identified programmatically meaning it is harder for browsers to offer users ‘auto-complete’ when filling out the form.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose.
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Some radio buttons on the application form are missing accessible descriptions.
This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value. We are working with our supplier to address these issues by September 2025.
Content that’s not within scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
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.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 1 May 2021. It was last updated on 4 July 2025.
This website was last tested against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. This website was tested internally by the Content Design Team at Dorset Council using a combination of automated testing tools and manual tests.
This website was last tested on 16 April 2025.