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Turn2us Website Accessibility

Read the Turn2us Website Accessibility below to find out how our website follows accessibility standards.

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We have developed our website following international web standards and accessibility guidelines. The web pages comply with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) XHTML 1.0 standard for HTML web pages, and we strive to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standard for accessibility. 

You can read through this page, or go directly to the sections you want to read by clicking on the links below:

 

Known accessibility issues on the Turn2us website

We are aware of a few areas of our site where it is not accessible. We apologise, and are working on fixing these within the next few months.

  • We are unable to request for screen readers to ignore decorative images. We are working through all images to add descriptions. Until we complete this, if you come across an image with no alt-text, it is only for decoration.
  • There are some colour contrast issues and other problems on some of our online forms.

If you are unable to use the site easily, please contact us

Text size

The text size is set in a way that makes it resizable in any browser, should you find it too small to read comfortably.

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Mobile responsive

The site will detect and respond to any mobile device or tablet, resizing images and layout to fit correctly

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Headings

Headings are used on each page on the website. They make it easier to read pages by providing visual structure and help people using screen readers and other assistive technologies navigate the site.

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Links

Links have been written to make sense when read out in isolation. This helps visitors who may use a list of links to move around the site. 

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Contrast

The website is designed to provide default contrast ratio for AA standard.

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Plain English Campaign Internet Crystal Mark

We are committed to using plain English throughout our website and to making our content as readable by as many people as possible.

Our website has been approved by the Plain English Campaign which allows us to display the Internet Crystal Mark.

This means the Plain English Campaign have checked that our site is clearly written in plain English and easy to use. Where "out of the ordinary" words are  necessary we have a jargon buster to explain their meanings.

If there is anything on our site that you feel could be explained more clearly, please let us know by using our Contact Us form.

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Turn2us PIP Helper

You can use the Turn2us PIP Helper to support you through each stage of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application.

We are currently working with the accessibility organisation Shaw Trust to make sure the tool is fully accessible.

You can see our 'in progress' certificate on Shaw Trust's website.

We will gain full accreditation in the first half of 2025 when we complete the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 A and AA criteria and AAA recommendations.

Asking about gender

We strive for Turn2us services to be accessible to everyone regardless of their sex or gender identity.

In some circumstances when we ask about gender, we only include ‘male’ and ‘female’ as possible answers.

This is because we are restricted by external factors:

  • When using the Turn2us Benefits Calculator, we need to ask what your legal gender is to calculate what benefits you are entitled to. UK law only recognises two genders: male and female. 

You no longer need to enter your gender to use the Turn2us Grants Search. 

However, some grant-giving organisations give grants to only men, or only women. Some of these third-party organisations require this to be your legal gender, while others consider applications based on gender identity. Please contact these organisations specifically to find out their criteria.

We understand that the way we ask about gender may not make everyone feel comfortable. 

If the format of these questions is preventing you from using Turn2us services, please use the contact us form. We are keen to hear suggestions on how to make our services more inclusive. 

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E-Learning Courses

While we are always looking for ways to improve the accessibility of our interactive courses, we are presently unable to offer a fully accessible experience. Currently the only course that has a fully accessible alternative version - a text only version - is the Turn2us PIP Helper for advisers course.

Vertical and Horizontal scrolling with increased viewing sizes

Vertical scrolling content at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels & Horizontal scrolling content at a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels: You will have the capability to increase the viewing size on a web-browser, but this functionality does not work properly on the courses. 

Legibility of resized text

The text in the e-learning courses do not always retain their legibility if you increase the size to 200%.

Please contact e-learning@turn2us.org.uk if you need to increase the text size of any of the courses. We can give you the text-only version to make this possible.

Audio playback speed

While you will still be able to start, pause and restart audio content, you will not be able to adjust the speed. You can adjust video playback speed.

Screen reader limitations

The interactive courses are not compatible with all screen readers. We know that you can access the courses using the NVDA screen reader on a Chrome Browser.

We have also recorded our own voice over on every course page.

Braille terminals

The platform is unfortunately not compatible with braille terminals.

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Exceptions

Downloadable documents

Occasionally Turn2us will upload documents, usually in a PDF format, created by a third party. Turn2us is not responsible for the compliance of external documents with accessibility but will forward any issues to that organisation.

If you download any Turn2us documents and have problems accessing them please use the contact us form request it in an alternative format.

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Useful resources

AbilityNet

AbilityNet is a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology.

They have a My Computer, My Way section which gives information on ways to make using your computer easier if you have disabilities.

They also have an advice and information service. 

Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB)

RNIB, which supports people with visual impairments, has many resources on technology, including a technology section on its website; blogs and bulletins to keep you up to date; and a technology support squad made up of volunteers who can help by phone or with a home visit.  See the RNIB website for more information.

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) guide on how to change text size and colours

This W3C page shows you how to change text size, text and background colours, and other display settings through your browser.

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Questions about accessibility and the Turn2us website

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the accessibility of this site, please contact us

Last updated: June 2023

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