Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to https://her.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

This website has been built by Idox Software Ltd on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council. Aberdeenshire Council is responsible for updating the content of this website.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use the website. So you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We also aim to make the website text as simple as possible to understand.

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

If you find any problems not listed on this statement, think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, or need information from this website in an alternative format, please email us: archaeology@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

You can use contactSCOTLAND-BSL, the Scottish Government’s online interpreting video relay services, to contact 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.

If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.

Non compliant content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some of our older PDFs and other documents are not formatted so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role value). Any new documents we publish should meet accessibility standards where they are required for essential services or users who are likely to have disabilities or impairments. The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we don’t plan to fix old PDF publications that might still be published and accessed through our website.

Maps

Online maps and mapping services are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. Where maps are intended for navigational use we will ensure that essential information is provided in an accessible digital manner.

Images and alternative text

Some images don't include a meaningful text alternative so people using a screen reader are not provided with an accurate description of what the image presents. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to add a meaningful alternative text to all images by April 2027. 

Page title

Some pages don't have a page title, which makes it more difficult for users to orient themselves, especially those with cognitive or visual disabilities. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (information and relationships). 

Tabbing order

When navigating with a keyboard some elements on the home page are not highlighted on focus and the tabbing order isn't logical. Without a focus indicator and logical tabbing order, sighted keyboard users can't operate the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 (focus visible).

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We want to make sure this website is inclusive for everyone within the legal web accessibility requirements.

To achieve this we will:

  • continue monitoring our website for issues using WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
  • carry out manual checks for problems that software can't detect
  • perform a formal accessibility audit at least once every 12 months
  • aim to produce information in more accessible formats, such as easy read guides

We'll update our accessibility statement when we find issues that will take time to resolve, and when we carry out an audit.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13th March 2026. It was last reviewed on 13th March 2026.

This website was last tested on 13th March 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

We used a combination of methods to test the accessibility of this website, including:

All unique content pages have been tested and at least one example of each templated page.