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Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Belfast Stories website: belfastcity.gov.uk/belfaststories/home. This website is run by Belfast City Council.

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand and it is approved by Plain English Campaign (link opens in new window) on an annual basis. My Computer My Way 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. You can see a full list of any issues we currently know about in the Non-accessible content section of this statement.

Feedback and contact information

As part of our commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and good relations, we want to make sure everyone can access this website. You can get all our webpages in different languages and formats by:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you within ten working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We want to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email us at webmaster@belfastcity.gov.uk

Tell us what part of the website you are visiting, what you are trying to do and what is preventing you from doing what you need to do. If possible, tell us what device and which browser you’re using. We will get back to you within three working days.

Read tips on contacting organisation about inaccessible websites.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) (link opens in new window) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (link opens in new window) (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your request or complaint, call ECNI on 028 9050 0600 and ask to speak with one of their Discrimination Advice Officers in their Legal Division, or email information@equalityni.org.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Find out how to contact us.

We provide a video relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment. You can access this online or at some of our venues. Find out more about this service.

Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) or Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreter.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Belfast City Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (link opens in a new window).

Compliance status

This website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Automated testing issues

Belfast City Council makes use of automated tooling to assist with accessibility issue identification. An accessibility report on 26 July 2024 from the ‘Silktide’ testing tool has identified the following issues.

  • Some pages scroll in two dimensions on small screens including mobile devices. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow (AA). This issue affects pages such as our Public Consultation, Market Engagement and Draft equality impact assessment pages.
  • Our form controls do not have appropriate labels. This fails WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1. This issue appears on our Contact us page.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are using automated checks to alert us if something falls below the standard.

We commissioned a manual accessibility audit of our websites in August 2023. We carried out a retest in November 2023 and are implementing these changes.

We contact our suppliers to assess their compliance with the legislation. We are also approaching organisations that request we publish their documents on our website, to discuss how we can present their information in an accessible way.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 18 April 2024. It was last reviewed on 26 July 2024.

This website was last tested on 26 July 2024 using our automated accessibility testing tool Silktide. We scanned 8 pages and 0 documents on our site.