How we tested this website

The University of Leeds hosts over 2,000 websites and applications. To test our compliance with the WCAG 2.1 Conformance Level AA Guidelines, we chose a sample of these websites and applications by asking these questions: 

  • How many people use the website / application, and how often?
  • How important the website / application is to a person’s work or study?
  • Do the websites / applications cover every stage of the student journey, from applying to graduating?
  • Do the websites / applications tested include those used by staff, students, and members of the public?
  • When was the website / application created? Was it created after 23 September 2018?
  • Is the website / application in use, and can it be accessed? 

Between 5 August and 6 September 2019, we tested:

  • Our main website platform, https://www.leeds.ac.uk
  • A range of websites, applications, and mobile applications. Read a more detailed list of tested websites and applications at the end of this page. 

Our testing process

We assessed each webpage against the WCAG 2.1 AA Standard based test model. We supplemented this with additional testing using automated tools where possible.

For large, third-party applications we have sourced their accessibility statements that document their compliance levels.

We have also assessed websites and applications with assistive technologies including JAWS (Job Access With Speech), Dragon NaturallySpeaking and ZoomText.

We selected 61 applications, and tested a subset of pages (two, three, or four) from each application. 

We selected 82 websites. We tested each website’s home page and a subset of pages within each website. 

We also tested seven mobile applications. 

We tested them against the WCAG 2.1 AA Guidelines, and using three assistive technologies:

  • JAWS (Job Access With Speech) – a screen reader
  • Dragon NaturallySpeaking – voice recognition software
  • ZoomText – a screen reader and magnifier 

We used these tests to make an overall assessment about the University of Leeds’ websites and applications and to prioritise how we make them compliant.

Which sites and applications did we test? 

Applications

We tested a range of applications from within the University’s online estate, including student and staff portals, our student information applications, online repositories, training systems, and library services. We have not provided a list here because many of these are not open to the public. If you have a specific question about an application, please email IT Services.

Websites

We tested our main website platform, available at https://www.leeds.ac.uk, and a range of our sites as listed below.

Some of these websites have been updated, closed or merged with other sites since being tested. The following list is a record of the sample of sites that were assessed between 5 August and 6 September 2019. We have noted where there is a substantial difference between what was tested and what is live in September 2020.

Updated: 22 September 2020