The Open University is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites and mobile apps, and accessibility is an essential part of our mission. On our Accessibility hub, you'll find everything you need to answer any questions you have about accessibility, whether you're a student or a member of staff.
To adapt the content to your needs or preferences should be able to:
- change the colours, contrasts levels and fonts
- resize text up to 200% without impact on the functionality of the website
- zoom in up to 400% without loss of information or functionality, or the need to scroll in more than one direction
- navigate the website using just a keyboard to allow you to:
- tab to ‘Skip to content’ links at the top of the page to jump over repetitive information to the main content
- tab through the content; the current location will be indicated by a clear visual change
- control the embedded media player to play audio and video materials
- use a screen reader (e.g. JAWs, NVDA) to:
- listen to the content of web pages and use most functionalities on the page
- list the headings and subheadings on the page and then jump to their location
- bring up a list of meaningful links on the page
- use transcripts or closed captions with most audio and video materials
- download learning materials in alternative formats (e.g. Word document, PDF, ePub, Kindle eBook).
If you have a print disability we provide SensusAccess to Open University students, which is an automated service that converts files from one format to another, for example, PDF to text, audio, Word or Braille.
AbilityNet also provides advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and the exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Images
Some legacy images which convey meaning do not have an informative text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text content (Level A). These are identified by a system report. The report is being analysed and fixes implemented on a working basis.
Interactive activities
Some of our interactive activities might fail aspects of WCAG criteria. We are in the process of auditing and rebuilding these materials, and the following actions are in progress:
- Full-screen interactive materials will have a link to this accessibility statement in the caption for the activity by February 2025.
- We will rebuild interactive activities, including those created by third-party suppliers, by December 2026.
- Interactive activities will be individually assessed, and have their own accessibility statement, by December 2026.
The content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
We know some elements of OpenLearn are not fully accessible. This includes:
- legacy and archived material
- some third-party content not created by The Open University
- sites linked from OpenLearn pages but not run by The Open University
- some activities (for example some of those involving maps, charts, graphs, simulations, online experiments, interactive activities and features)
- some content with specialised notations, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and music
- older PDFs and Word documents, which may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
- some text and interface components (for example search boxes, check boxes), which do not provide enough colour contrast
- some online forms, which are not set up correctly to include helpful direction for screen reader users.
We aim to provide accessible alternative content or activities where we can. However, some older activities developed before 2018, such as online experiments and interactive games and features, are not fully accessible as it is not possible to run them on all device types and players and it is difficult to offer alternative formats for these types of content. We are aware of this and are working through old content to make improvements.
The following types of content may not always be accessible, and are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Video and audio
Wherever possible we provide transcripts for audio, and captions, audio descriptions and transcripts for video. Sometimes these alternatives are not available. We do not plan to provide these for all videos published before 23rd September 2020 because pre-recorded time-based media published before this date is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Live audio and video
We do not plan to add captions to all live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Heritage collections
Reproductions of items in heritage collections are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations where they cannot be made accessible due to the unavailability of cost effective solutions to achieve this, or where making items accessible would impact negatively on the preservation of the item.
PDFs and other documents
PDFs or other documents that are not essential to providing our services and were published before 23rd September 2018 are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We are working to ensure that any new PDFs or other documents that we publish meet accessibility standards.
Maps
Online maps and mapping services are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Third party content not within OU control
Third party content that is not funded, developed by, or under the control of the OU is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations .
Please follow the links below to find more information on accessibility assessments for some of our interactive third-party content providers:
- Please follow this link to find more information on H5P accessibility statement.
- Please follow this link to find more information on Elucidat accessibility statement.
- Please follow these links to find more information on Articulate software: Rise 360, Storyline 360 and Reach 360.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 23 September 2020.
This statement was last reviewed on 31 January 2025.
This website was last tested on 5 December 2024.The website was last formally audited in October 2021 but regularly undergoes accessibility testing in-house by the OpenLearn team, using accessibility tools such as Wave, SiteImprove and axe DevTools. This testing is focused on our main template pages (home, catalogue, course, article pages). We have conducted a manual survey of the site for video transcripts and set up a system report for alternative text for images.
We have also conducted an automated preliminary sample audit of 23 popular and important pages of the site.
The latest testing of this website involved using the Accessibility Compliance Toolkit (ACT) which is an internal toolkit used to identify and check web pages for accessibility by conducting basic accessibility testing. This basic testing covers essential aspects of accessibility, but it doesn’t include all the WCAG 2.2 Level AA Success Criteria. Using the ACT combines manual checks with automated tests across a sample of pages identified as being representative of most or all of the components used on the website. The accessibility testing conducted on this website includes evaluating alternative text, colour contrast, content resizing, content structure, form labels, language of page, link text, keyboard navigation, captions and skip links.
The following accessibility testing methods and tools were used:
- W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) checks (alternative text, content structure, language of page, keyboard navigation, skip links)
- ARC and axe DevTools automated checker (colour contrast, form labels, link text)
- Manual checks (content resizing, captions).
Feedback and contact information
If you find that a certain section of our website is not accessible and you can’t get access to the information that you need please use the Open University Accessibility Feedback Form to request support and we will ensure that you are provided with the information you require. You will need to provide your contact details and Personal Identifier if you are a student so we can get back to you. You should expect to hear back from us within 5 working days.
The OU is very experienced in meeting accessibility
needs for our students. In many cases we are able to provide module and other
study support materials in alternative formats for students who indicate a need
for this when completing a Disability
Support Form.
In addition, some module materials are available in
different formats and can be downloaded from module websites. Students can
contact their Student Support Team for advice.
If you are a student, or someone who has had contact with the University before, and have a complaint about the accessibility of our websites, you should raise a complaint via the complaints and appeals process.
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 are based in the UK, and you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
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