Please see the email below as a response to the message sent on
Wednesday.
Darren,
UCAS owns the UCAS, GTTR, NMAS and CUKAS websites, and it is therefore
our responsibility to ensure that our website services are accessible to
all users.
Over the last couple of years, a few users have contacted us to say that
they have had difficulties using one or more of our website services,
due to the font size and/or colours specified in the current designs. In
each case, we have been able to help them overcome the problems that
they had encountered.
Recently, UCAS commissioned a survey and an independent, expert review
of the usability and accessibility of our web services and are now
acting on the findings of this research.
UCAS has initiated a project to redevelop all of our websites and
services and accessibility is a key element in the success criteria of
this project. User testing will be conducted throughout the development
phase of the project, to ensure that all quality criteria are met.
Please contact me directly if you would like to be involved in this user
testing work. Phase one of this project is scheduled for completion in
September 2006, to coincide with the start of the 2007 entry cycle.
I hope that this response answers the questions that you have raised.
Regards,
Ruth Colyer
UCAS Website Manager
Digital Services Department
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
Tel: 01242 544836
Fax: 01242 544948
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.ucas.com
Registered Office: Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham GL52 3LZ
Registered Company Number: 2839815
Registered Charity Number: 1024741
-----Original Message-----
From: HE Administrators equal opportunities list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Darren Mooney
Sent: 31 May 2006 11:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Accessibility of application websites
Hello all
Just a quick question. Has anyone had or encountered any concerns over
the
accessibility of the University Admissions websites eg UCAS, GTTR and
NMAS ?
Looking purely on the home pages for accessibility information / font
size and
colour schemes, alternative formats, they don't appear to me to be all
that
accessible!
Further more, because Universities have to use these systems to recruit
students,
do these systems fall into Universities responsibilities to ensure the
application
process is accessible?
And an additional question, because students can only apply on line has
anyone
encountered any problems or concerns from disabled students?
UCAS:
http://www.ucas.ac.uk/
Graduate Teacher Training Registry:
http://www.gttr.ac.uk/
Nursing and Midwifery admissions service
http://www.nmas.ac.uk/
Regards
Darren
--
Darren Mooney BSc (Hons)
Diversity / Student Experience Officer
Student Support & Guidance
University of Chester
Parkgate Road
Chester
CH1 4BJ
01244 51 1138
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