Durham University is committed to making the Nomis website accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to the www.nomisweb.co.uk website, which Durham University runs on behalf of the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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

  1. Some pages are structured incorrectly, so screen readers cannot understand the relationships between information in the table. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) (Level A).
  2. Some tables contain headings visually styled as separate tables but are programmatically generated within one large table. Screen reader users may not be able to understand the separation of the tables. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) (Level A).
  3. Some programmatically generated tables are not structured correctly for example empty table headers and incorrect markups. This means that the same information and relationships between content are not provided for users of screen reading assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) (Level A).
  4. Some lists on the 'Local Area Report' page are not structured properly. This means assistive technologies will not read the list content correctly. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) (Level A).
  5. There are some instances on the site where interactive text is used instead of a button. This means that users of various assistive technologies such as screen reading software, voice activation software, or using a keyboard alone, are not able to encounter or access this component and the content which is available from activating it. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criteria: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A), 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A), 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A) and 2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception) (Level AAA).
  6. Some pages have headings that are marked up as level 1 headings but are visually styled as subheadings. This means that users of screen reading assistive technologies are not provided with the same structure, information, and relationships between content as users are provided with visually. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) (Level A).
  7. Some elements on pages have not been marked up with the appropriate accessible attributes. This means that some content may be ignored by screen reading software, but will still be included in the focus order. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
  8. Some interactive components do not possess a visual label. This means that some users may not be able to discern its purpose. It also means that voice activation users are not aware of the required voice commands to activate the control. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A).
  9. Some interactive elements that receive focus do not display a distinguishable focus indication. This means keyboard users cannot easily identify their location on the page or confidently understand what elements are interactive and can receive focus. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA).

Disproportionate burden

Excel documents

Our website contains many Excel documents, including historical and previous versions of datasets. These may include data tables that are difficult to use with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation.

We are working to make improvements to the accessibility of our Excel files to bring them in line with the Government Analysis Function's accessibility guidance on releasing statistics in spreadsheets. The focus is on our regular releases and the latest editions of data.

We have looked at the resources needed to make all historical and previous versions of Excel documents on the website accessible. We believe that making all of them accessible would be a disproportionate burden.

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

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.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are working to investigate and resolve the non-compliance issues identified in this statement. We will update this statement with further information on progress by October 2024.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 15 August 2024. The Nomis website was last tested on 1 Dec 2022 against the WCAG 2.1 AA standard. The Digital Accessibility Centre Limited (DAC) did the test. DAC carried out manual testing on desktop, mobile and tablet devices with people with a range of disabilities. The testing consisted of a series of tasks where they used most page and content types on the Nomis website.

The statement was last reviewed on 15 Aug 2024.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information from the Nomis website in a different format, please contact us and tell us:

We will reply within five working days to let you know when we can provide the information. We will consider each request but may not be able to provide an alternative accessible format on every occasion.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are working to meet accessibility standards across our website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting the accessibility requirements, please get in touch with us.

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).