Introduction

At Arden, accessibility is one of our core values, and we are committed to ensuring that all users of our systems have an equitable experience. This accessibility statement outlines how this digital service meets relevant accessibility standards and enables users to understand how it will work for their needs.

The European Accessibility Act (2025)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has been mandated by the European Commission to ensure harmonisation of member state approaches towards the accessibility of digital products and services. Whilst it is not a UK law, certain UK businesses need to comply with the legislation if their products or services are sold or accessed in the European Union (EU).  

At Arden, some of our digital services can be accessed by people in the EU and so we have deemed them in scope and subject to the regulations. This accessibility statement forms part of our compliance towards the European Accessibility Act. For further information on our work in this area, please visit our accessibility webpage.

This accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to https://learningsuccess.arden.ac.uk. This digital service is used primarily by students accessing library resources (databases and eBooks) and guidance provided by the Learning Success Hub as well as services such as bookings and enquiry services.

The Learning Success Hub is responsible for the digital accessibility of this website. 

This digital service is developed entirely in-house by Arden University

Customising this digital service

We’ve made the content on this digital service as clear and simple as possible to understand, but if you have any issues accessing or understanding anything, please contact us. 

If you would prefer to access any of the content on this digital service in an alternative format, you can request a specific format by contacting us, or, if you are a member of staff or a student, you can use our free online format conversion tool Sensus Access. 

For more advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability, visit AbilityNet ‘My Computer My Way’. This is an external website.

If you are an assistive technology user, you can find further information on how this service functions with some assistive technology types in the Use with Assistive Technology section of this statement.

How accessible is this digital service

We know some parts of this digital service are not fully accessible. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the non-accessible content section of this statement.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this digital service, which means that you should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate using just a keyboard
  • navigate using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the content using a screen reader+ 

Technical information about this digital service’s accessibility

Arden University is committed to making its platforms, websites and digital services accessible. This service is designed to comply with the EN 301 549 v.3.2.1 technical standards required by the European Accessibility Act (2025). This closely follows level ‘AA’ of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2.

Enforcement procedure

If you have any issues accessing this digital service, please contact the team responsible noted in the Feedback and Contact Information section of this statement. If they are unable to assist you, you can also speak to the Accessibility team. 

Overall monitoring and enforcement of the European Accessibility Act is conducted by member state regulators. If you are accessing this digital service in the EU and have any concerns about how it complies with the European Accessibility Act, or are not happy with how we handle your complaint at Arden, please contact the accessibility regulator or equality body in your country. 

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, due to the non-compliances[CW1]  listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • The navigation dropdown menus cannot be opened using the keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1: Keyboard [2.0 A]. This has been flagged as urgent and the developer is working to fix this issue.
  • The lessons in the reading lists cannot be opened using the keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.1.1: Keyboard [2.0 A]. This has been flagged as urgent and the developer is working to fix this issue.
  • Some aspects of the website lack sufficient colour contrast making it difficult for users with visual impairments to navigate the website. This fails WCAG 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum) [2.0 AA]. The colour palette is being reviewed by the UX Designer.
  • Some aspects of the website lack visual cues showing where the keyboard focus is. This fails WCAG 1.4.1: Use of Colour [2.0 A]. The UX Designer is advising on how this issue can be addressed.
  • Navigation arrows on the reading lists and student voice carousels cannot be navigated using a keyboard. This fails WCAG 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value [2.0 A]. The developer is working to fix this issue.
  • The hamburger menu on the mobile is not navigable by keyboard. The developer is working to fix this issue. This relates to WCAG 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value [2.0 A]
  • The tabs on the News Hub cannot be navigated by a screen reader. This fails WCAG 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value [2.0 A]. The developer is working to fix this issue.
  • The search feature on News Hub needs code adjustments. This fails 4.1.3: Status Messages [2.1 AA]. The developer is working to fix this issue. 

As an alternative you can email us directly at LSHaccess@arden.ac.uk while we work on fixing this issue.

If you find an issue that we have yet to identify, please contact us using one of the routes described in the ‘Feedback and contact information’ section of this statement.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

Fundamental alteration exemption

At this time, we have not made any fundamental alteration exemption claims.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Some content that has been published before 28 June 2025 is not subject to the European Accessibility Act until 28 June 2030. We are working to replace any non-compliant content already published on our digital service before this time, and any new content created or published after 28 June 2025 will be checked against the accessibility standards. In the meantime, if you require any content in an alternative format, please contact us.

Content not targeted for an EU audience

Some of our content is not specifically targeted for or used by our customers in the EU and therefore is not in scope for the European Accessibility Act. This includes some marketing materials, learning content and process or policy documents.

Third-party content

Our services contain third-party content. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content. If you have an issue with any of the content, please contact us and we will try to help.

We make best endeavours to work with the third-parties to improve their accessibility. This may include:

  • links to non-Arden University digital services
  • content/functionality on our digital services
  • content hosted on other websites, such as social media sites
  • documents which are sent to us and uploaded, or comments left on pages by members of the public

Video content

We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We also have some existing pre-recorded video content that was published before 28 June 2025. This content is also exempt from the regulations until 28 June 2030. All new video content we produce will have appropriate captions, audio descriptions and transcripts as necessary.

Online Maps

Our service includes the use of online maps to show certain geographical information. These are not used for navigational purposes and are exempt under the regulations. If you require the information presented in an online map in a different format, please contact us to discuss reasonable adjustments.

Archive content

Some of the content on this digital service is classified as an archive. This kind of historically recorded content is exempt from meeting the digital accessibility regulations. If you require a specific piece of archive content and it is not accessible, please contact the department responsible for this service using the methods in the Feedback and contact information section of this statement, and we will provide an accessible version of the content on request.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Arden University is committed to improving the digital experience of our students and staff and ensuring that everyone has equitable access to our services, support and resources, regardless of need, ability or preference of engagement. We are continually seeking opportunities to learn how to improve this and work closely with internal and external networks and stakeholders to monitor our work in this area and to share best practice.

Feedback and contact information

The team/department listed below are responsible for this accessibility statement, and for ensuring that this digital service is as accessible as possible.

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us.

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13 November 2025. It was last reviewed on 13 November 2025. It is owned by the Learning Success Hub at Arden University. 

This website was last tested on 3 October 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. Testing was carried out by AbilityNet, a professional accessibility auditing company and the Learning Success Hub Accessibility team.