Accessibility statement

Accessibility statement for eSTEeM Centre for Scholarship and Innovation website

The Open University is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to the eSTEeM Centre for Scholarship and Innovation website.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites and mobile apps, and accessibility is an essential part of our mission. On our Accessibility hub, you'll find everything you need to answer any questions you have about accessibility, whether you're a student or a member of staff.

To adapt the content to your needs or preferences you should be able to:

Change colours, contrasts levels and fonts.
Resize text up to 200% without impact on the functionality of the website.
Zoom in up to 400% without loss of information or functionality.
Navigate the website using just a keyboard.
- tab to ‘Skip to content’ links at the top of the page to jump over repetitive information to the main content.
- tab through the content; the current location will be indicated by a clear visual change.
- control the embedded media player to play audio and video materials.
Use a screen reader (e.g. JAWs, NVDA) to:
- listen to the content of web pages and use any functionality on the page.
- list the headings and subheadings in the page and then jump to their location on the page.
- bring up a list of meaningful links on the page.
Use transcripts or closed captions with most audio and video materials.
Download learning materials in alternative formats (e.g. Word document, PDF, ePub).
If you have a print disability we provide SensusAccess to students, which is an automated service that converts files from one format to another, for example, PDF to text, audio, Word or Braille.
AbilityNet also provides advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Compliance status

(b) This eSTEeM Centre for Scholarship and Innovation website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliance(s)and/or the exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reason(s):

(a) Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Content resizing:

Some text becomes unreadable when it is zoomed up to 200% using settings in the browser. People with low vision won’t be able to read this text. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.4 Resize Text (Level AA) and will be resolved by the end of August 2026.

Some content will not reflow correctly when it zoomed up to 400% using settings in the browser. People with low vision won’t be able to read this text or may be required to scroll horizontally as well as vertically. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.4 Resize Text (Level AA) and will be resolved by the end of August 2026.

Content structure:

Some heading structures do skip levels, which may seem as though there is missing content. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA) and will be resolved by the end of August 2026.

Captions:

Some video with audio does not have captions making people with hearing impairments or those with cognitive disabilities unable to understand the audio content. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of August 2026.

Skip links:

Some skip links do not receive keyboard focus first, do not take keyboard focus into the content area and cannot be activated by both mouse and keyboard. Therefore, this does not allow keyboard users to avoid excessive repetition and significantly reduces usability and efficiency. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of August 2026.

(b) Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

(c) The content is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

The below list identifies the content which has been deemed as out of scope because they are exempt from the accessibility regulations:

Pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020.
PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 - unless users need them to use a service, for example a form that lets you request school meal preferences.
Third party content that’s under someone else’s control if you did not pay for it or develop it yourself - for example, social media ‘like’ buttons.
Content on intranets or extranets published before 23 September 2019 (unless you make a major revision after that date).
Archived websites if they’re not needed for services your organisation provides and they are not updated.

The ‘Resources’ and ‘Events’ sections many contain PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018, which are out of scope of the accessibility regulations.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on the 22nd August 2025

This statement was last reviewed on the 22nd August 2025

This website was last tested on 22nd August 2025.

The testing approach taken involved using a sample of pages across the eSTEeM Centre for Scholarship and Innovation website. These include the pages: Home, About eSTEeM, Projects, Events and Resources, which represent and cover most, or all, the components used on the website. The testing was conducted by the Senior Centre Manager (eSTEeM).

This website was tested using the Accessibility Compliance Toolkit (ACT) which is an internal toolkit used to identify and check web pages for accessibility by conducting basic accessibility testing. This basic testing covers essential aspects of accessibility, but it doesn’t include all the WCAG 2.2 Level AA Success Criteria. Using the ACT combines manual checks with automated tests across a sample of pages identified as being representative of most or all of the components used on the website. The accessibility testing conducted on this website includes evaluating alternative text, colour contrast, content resizing, content structure, form labels, language of page, link text, keyboard navigation, captions and skip links.

The following accessibility testing methods and tools were used:

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) checks (alternative text, content structure, language of page, keyboard navigation, skip links)
axe DevTools automated checker (colour contrast, form labels, link text)
Manual checks (content resizing, captions).

Feedback and contact information

If you find that a certain section of our website is not accessible and you can’t get access to the information that you need please use the Open University Accessibility Feedback Form to request support and we will ensure that you are provided with the information you require. You will need to provide your contact details and Personal Identifier if you are a student so we can get back to you. You should expect to hear back from us within 5 working days.

The OU is very experienced in meeting accessibility needs for our students. In many cases we are able to provide module and other study support materials in alternative formats for students who indicate a need for this when completing a Disability Support Form.

In addition, some module materials are available in different formats and can be downloaded from module websites. Students can contact their Student Support Team for advice.

If you are a student, or someone who has had contact with the University before, and have a complaint about the accessibility of our websites, you should raise a complaint via the complaints and appeals process.

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 are based in the UK, and you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

eSTEeM

Accessibility statement