This website (www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/localoffer) is run by Hertfordshire County Council. We want everyone to be able to use this website.
We built our website to meet WCAG 2.1AA requirements. That means you should be able to:
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader
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.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- third party video players
- some headings may be non-hierarchical.
- Google Translate widget
- Jotform widget
- most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
Changing colours, font, text size and other settings
All modern browsers allow you to change colours and font sizes. We've tried to create a site which doesn't get in the way when you change these settings.
For advice on changing settings, check out the BBC’s accessibility pages.
You can choose your operating system (for example, Windows), your browser (such as Internet Explorer) and the problem you're trying to fix. You'll then get lots of relevant advice on accessibility settings.
Screen readers
A screen reader is a program which reads out the information displayed on your computer to you. Screen readers can be useful to enable blind and partially-sighted people to browse the internet and carry out other tasks using their device.
There are a variety of screen readers available. The following websites contain information regarding accessibility software and resources:
Leaving feedback and getting alternative formats
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
We try to write in plain English and avoid jargon. If you don’t understand something, let us know at:
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, contact web.team@hertfordshire.gov.uk.
If you're not happy with our response
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
We have contact services for deaf customers or those who have hearing loss.
- Textphone/ Minicom: 01992 555506
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Hertfordshire County Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
We are fully compliant
This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Third party platforms
We often create or link to content which is hosted on third party platforms. This includes:
- content we create for social media, such as Facebook or Twitter
- videos hosted on YouTube or Vimeo
- PDFs or documents hosted on other websites
We're responsible for ensuring the content we create meets accessibility requirements. However, we're not responsible for the accessibility of the platform itself, or content which has been created by a third party.
For example, when we add video to one of our YouTube channels, we'll ensure any subtitling, captions and audio-description are included as required. However, we're not responsible for the accessibility of the video player itself.
Disproportionate burden
Some of the PDFs or word documents within our resources area of the website are not accessible. This is because many of the documents are designed to be printed off and used as worksheets, and are not used as digital documents. We have made the decision to host these documents on the website so that our users can download and print them if they wish, but they are exemptions to the web content accessibility guidelines.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with forms which allow you to request a service. Any document which is essential to accessing a service will be accessible by September 2020, or replaced with accessible HTML pages.
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. For example, we do not plan to fix documents which are older than this date which are hosted within our resources area of the website.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 11 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 5 April 2023.
This website was last tested on 8 July 2020. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC).
The DAC tested on a sample of our webpages, ensuring that the sample included examples of every component we use.
Auditing
We carry out formal accessibility audits of the website every year using WCAG 2.1 AA standards which guide our long term audit and improvement plans.