This accessibility statement applies to ordnancesurvey.co.uk
This website is run by Ordnance Survey. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.
For example, that means you should be able to:
- Increase the browser font size to its largest setting without the text spilling off the screen.
- Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard.
- Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).
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:
- Some page elements have insufficient text contrast.
- Some pages have empty links or values which may confuse people using assistive technology.
- The purpose of some graphical elements may be unclear.
- The keyboard focus indicator is not consistent on some elements.
- Some features on the site are not fully keyboard accessible.
- Some form elements have duplicate attributes or missing labels.
- Some PDF documents are not fully accessible to assistive technology users.
- The browser back button is not functioning correctly when on the contact us page.
- Some page headings are not in a logical order.
- Some older pages have performance and display issues when viewed using Microsoft Internet explorer 11.
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, then please 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 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Ordnance Survey is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Perceivable - information and user interface
- Images on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
- Some iframes do not have title attributes, preventing users from identifying their contents. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
- Some form elements do not have associated labels, which may make some form inputs difficult to identify and navigate. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
- Some headings are not displayed in a logical order. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence).
- Some pages have poor colour contrast. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Colour).
Operable - user interface and navigation
- Some page elements cannot be reached by keyboard users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
- Some elements lose visible focus, when accessed via the keyboard, which can make it hard for some users to see where they are on the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
Understandable - information and user interface
- One page is not identifying the language used, which may cause issues for some users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (Language of Page). (Fixed)
- Some pages produce pop-up modal windows without warning the user first. This may not be apparent to some users and may cause confusion. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.2.1 (On Focus).
Robust - content and reliable interpretation
- Some pages have JavaScript and HTML errors which may cause issues for some users with assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing).
- Some features use inappropriate code in their construction. This may cause issues for some users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Some of our PDFs are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can use GPS devices. By December 2021, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
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. For example, we do not plan to fix the 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster PDF.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish should meet accessibility standards.
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
Departments and agencies are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 18 February 2021. It was last reviewed on 12 September 2023.
This website was last tested on 1 December 2020. The test was carried out in-house by Ordnance Survey.
The entire website was tested using an automated test tool. In addition, thirteen pages were identified, based on their function and the traffic they receive. These pages were then tested using various test tools and then manually tested to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 level A and level AA.