Deposit your research outputs in Symplectic

This accessibility statement applies to publications.leeds.ac.uk and has been adapted from a template provided by Digital Science.

The publications and research information database used at the University of Leeds is an instance of Symplectic Elements, supplied by Digital Science.

It is designed to be usable by as many Leeds researchers as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:

• zoom in up to 300% without problems
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

AbilityNet has accessibility advice on how to adapt your device to meet your needs.

Non-accessible content

Some parts of Symplectic are not fully accessible:

• Some user-generated files and previews of these files may be inaccessible
• This website has not been optimised for mobile devices, so may not behave in an accessible manner if viewed on such devices
• Some parts of this website that are restricted to administrative users may not be fully accessible.

To minimise the risk of encountering non-accessible pages in Symplectic you should:

• use the desktop site wherever possible (Elements has not yet been optimised for mobile use)
• use the latest version of a modern browser, such as Chrome or Firefox.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

If you have any issues with accessibility when using this system or encounter non-accessible content please contact Digital Science by emailing support@symplectic.co.uk, copying in research@library.leeds.ac.uk. Digital Science may be able to provide the information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read and audio recording.

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 Digital Science respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Compliance status

Symplectic Elements 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 accessibility regulations

Issues that users could encounter whilst using Elements include:

• Elements presently has no ‘skip navigation links’ to get users directly to each page’s content. Thus, when using a keyboard to navigate, there are interactive page elements on every page that must be tabbed through sequentially before content that's unique to the page can be reached. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks).
• Where a user interaction causes a dynamic change to a form, tab flow does not always take account of the new form component, making it difficult for a user to complete the form using a keyboard alone. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order)
• The datepickers we make use of in Elements, whilst navigable using a keyboard, use non-standard controls, which may make it difficult for users to select dates. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).

Disproportionate burden

• User generated content: Some of the content on the Symplectic website is generated and uploaded by individual users and as a result may not be fully accessible. Reviewing and ensuring each item of content is fully accessible would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations for both the person generating the content and those carrying out related administrative task.
• Older pages: Some older pages on this website have multiple accessibility issues which can only be addressed through a full rewrite. Digital Science report that whilst each of these pages will ultimately be made accessible through the ongoing revision, ensuring that they were accessible by the time the accessibility regulations became applicable would have been a disproportionate burden.

Content that’s not within the scope of accessibility regulations

• User generated content: Some of the content on the Symplectic website is third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by Digital Science, nor under their control and is therefore exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
• Access-controlled parts: This website is not available to the general public and is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations until such time it undergoes a substantial revision. Remaining content not meeting accessibility standards will be addressed incrementally on an ongoing basis.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared by Digital Science on 21/09/2020. It was last reviewed on 16/01/2023.

As part of a substantial revision to Symplectic, pages are being tested for accessibility as they receive attention. This statement is based on testing performed up to 16/01/2023. The test was carried out by internal teams.