Accessibility
This page was last updated on 23rd May 2023This accessibility statement applies to our Vehicle Certification Agency website, which is owned by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).
This website is run by VCA. 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
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using 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.
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
- you cannot change the colour of text
- some historic documents are in PDF format and are not accessible
- some images do not have image descriptions
- some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
- some tables do not have row headings
- you cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader
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:
Email: communications@vca.gov.uk
Call: 0300 330 5797
Write to us at:
Communications Team
No 1 The Eastgate Office Centre
Eastgate Road
Bristol
BS5 6XX
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 days.
If you can’t view the maps on our location pages, call or email us for directions.
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, email us at: communications@vca.gov.uk
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).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Vehicle Certification Agency is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- Some tables in content do not have table row headers when needed. This means assistive technologies will not read the tables correctly. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
- Images on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
- Some content looks like headings but is not. This makes it difficult for screen reader users to navigate the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
- Many documents are in less accessible formats, for example PDF. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format.
We plan to fix the above non-compliance issues by December 2023. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our content meets accessibility standards.
Screen reader limitations
When using the JAWS screen reader software, the following issues are present:
JAWS instructs users to use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate through the options on the “What kind of vehicle” menu in the website header. Users instead need to use the keyboard tab key to navigate through the options and the enter key to select an option.
When completing the “Is this page useful” survey at the bottom of all pages, JAWS users will find they are scrolled to the top of the page instead of remaining in place to view, or be read out, the submission successful message.
We plan to rework the way in which the menu and survey features work, to be fully compatible with JAWS screen reader by December 2023.
Disproportionate burden
We believe that fixing the accessibility problems with a small number of our PDF forms would be disproportionate because the forms will be retired soon and replaced with HTML forms.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents. By December 2023, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages/publications.
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.
How we tested this website
We use SortSite professional to periodically test https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/ against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.
On 24 February 2023, the Government Digital Service conducted an audit of a representative sample of pages on https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/ against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.
Based on the Government Digital Service testing, our site is compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA. This means no serious or critical issues were found during their testing. Please note these were basic tests ran on a small part of the website.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are currently undergoing a business transformation where many of our PDF forms will be converted into fully accessible HTML forms. We are also working to ensure all features on the website are compatible with the most common screen reader tools – JAWS, NVDA and Voice Over. We are working to convert historic PDF/Word documents to HTML. We use SortSite professional to periodically test our site and fix accessibility issues.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 26 April 2023. It was last reviewed on 26 April 2023.
This website was last tested on 30 March 2023. The test was carried out by internal testers using SortSite Professional.
We tested all pages against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.