Accessibility
Accessibility statement for Royal College of Nursing
This accessibility statement applies to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) website (rcn.org.uk) and all subdomains.
This website is run by the Royal College of Nursing. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, 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
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- 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.
- Most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software.
- Live video streams do not always have captions.
- Some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard.
- You cannot skip to the main content when using a screen reader.
- Some of our images do not have alternative text.
- Some of our images contain words.
- Some text does not have sufficient colour contrast with the background.
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, please email corporate.communications@rcn.org.uk
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in two working days.
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 digital@rcn.org.uk
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
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
- Alternative text – some of our images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information.
- Words in images – some of our images contain words or written content. We plan to reduce the use of images with words to only be used or where text cannot create the same visual effect or for logos.
Disproportionate burden
Navigation and accessing information
There’s no way to skip the repeated content in the page header (for example, a ‘skip to main content’ option).
- It’s not always possible to change the device orientation from horizontal to vertical without making it more difficult to view the content.
- It’s not possible for users to change text size without some of the content overlapping.
Interactive tools and transactions
- Some of our interactive forms are difficult to navigate using a keyboard. For example, because some form controls are missing a ‘label’ tag.
We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues with navigation and accessing information, and with interactive tools and transactions. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will keep this under review.
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, essential governance information published as PDFs and forms published as Word documents.
From 1 September 2020, we have set new standards for all publications created by the RCN to use accessible fonts and to be designed to be clearly laid out for all readers.
We have undertaken research with staff and member groups to agree on two fonts which are accessible to readers with neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and those with failing eyesight. These fonts are Public Sans and Montserrat. We strive to ensure all publications are created using these fonts.
If you find a PDF on our website which needs to be converted to the new fonts, please contact corporate.communications@rcn.org.uk
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.
Live video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are currently working to improve accessibility on the RCN website and aim to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standard as part of this work.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement is reviewed annually.
A full accessibility test has not yet been completed.
