Falmouth Learn Accessibility Statement

Falmouth Learn is a virtual learning environment (VLE) provided by the Digital Learning team at Falmouth University. The VLE is built upon third-party software called Canvas developed by Instructure. This accessibility statement applies to users accessing Falmouth Learn via both a browser and the Canvas Student App.

The Digital Learning team wants everyone using our websites and digital resources to have a positive experience. 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

    Accessibility features in different devices

    My Computer My Way on the AbilityNet website explains how people can make their computers, tablets and smart phones easier to use and is divided into the following sections: vision, hearing, motor and cognitive (learning differences). A wide range of devices are covered with downloadable factsheets

    How accessible this website is

    We know some parts of this website are not accessible. These issues within Falmouth Learn can be categorised as: 

    • platform issues (maintained and developed by Instructure) 
    • third-party integrations 
    • content and theming (maintained and developed by Falmouth University) 

    For example, some HTML elements are not used according to the specification (platform issue), some iframe content does not have accessible titles (content issue). 

    For more information regarding the accessibility issues within these categories, please see section, Non-accessible content, within this statement. 

    What to do if you can’t access information on this website?

    All content presented on Falmouth Learn, as well as its underlying system Canvas, has been developed to be as accessible as possible. However, if you experience difficulties and require an alternative format, please contact us for more information.

    You can contact us via email at, dlsupport@falmouth.ac.uk

    You may also contact us via phone on, (01326) 259187

    When you contact us a member of the team will aim to respond to you, via our Helpdesk, within three 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, please contact us using our webform on this link. You will get a confirmation within five working days that your form has been received and a full response within 20 working days.

    Enforcement procedure

    If you have reported an issue with the website but you are dissatisfied with the response you have received, please contact us at dlsupport@falmouth.ac.uk. All feedback helps us to improve the website and our processes.

    The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018. If you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to a complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

    Technical information about this website's accessibility

    Falmouth University and the Digital Learning team are committed to making Falmouth Learn accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

    This website is partially complaint with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standard. Areas of non-compliance are listed below, with a description of how an element does not comply, why it is an exception or how we intend to resolve the issue. Should any part of the website not work for you please contact us so that we can correct it.

    Non-accessible content

    Canvas

    Instructure provide a Canvas Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) which explicitly states how compliant Canvas is as a system against each of the WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. At the time of writing, WebAIM certifies Canvas to be substantially conformant with the WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.

    Third-party Integrations

    Talis Aspire

    Students access reading lists in Falmouth Learn via a third-party tool called Talis Aspire. Talis provide a Talis Aspire Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) which explicitly states how compliant Talis Aspire is as a product against each of the WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. At the time of writing, Talis is partially conformant with the WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.

    Content and Theming 

    Images without a description - WCAG 1.1.1, 1.4.5 

    Some images do not have a description or text alternative. These instances are mainly where icons have been used initially as decorative, but on review still convey meaning so need to be updated appropriately. These issues are in the process of being addressed, either removed or fixed with alt text, and will be updated along with other system updates over the next year. 

    Contrast issues - WCAG 1.4.3 

    Some text on various pages has a low contrast ratio between the text and the background colour. Most of these issues are icons used in table headers, and when actively focused/hovered the contrast changes. We are actively working to address any contrast issues, and intend to fix these over the course of this year. 

    Headings - WCAG 2.4.3, 2.4.6 

    Some of the content on pages and documents does not adhere to a typical heading hierarchy or is missing a first level heading, so the structure and layout of sections may be confusing to those with assisted devices or tools. This is being manually addressed through amending created content, and adjusting page template structure. 

    What we're doing to improve accessibility

    This statement has outlined the ways the Digital Learning team continue to improve the accessibility of Falmouth Learn. To summarise, these include:

    • Reacting quickly and effectively to feedback regarding non-compliant content.
    • Periodically auditing our content for accessibility issues and correcting any issues.
    • Falmouth University has invested in Ally, a third-party tool developed by BlackBoard that allows users to access alternative versions of uploaded files.

    Preparation of this accessibility statement

    This statement was first prepared on 5/4/2021. It was last reviewed on 17/11/2023.    

    This website was last tested on 17/11/2023. The test was carried out by Falmouth University.