Accessibility statement for psr.org.uk

This statement explains the approach the Payment Systems Regulator takes on accessibility of the psr.org.uk website and explains how to request content in accessible formats and report issues.

This website is run by The Payment Systems Regulator. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. We strive to make the text on the website clear and simple to understand.

Our website users should be able to:

  • Zoom in up to 200% without problems
  • Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (such as Jaws)
  • Navigate most of the website using speech and other assistive technology built into computer and smartphone operating systems

We also strive to make the website text as easy as possible to understand.

Our website is built on the Umbraco content management system and we use the latest coding practices to ensure clear design and accessibility compliance.

Documents on our website are published in PDF format. To access them you need Adobe Acrobat Reader software which is available free of charge from the Adobe website.

If you have a disability, AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use. The BBC’s My Web My Way also provides detailed information on how to change browser and computer settings to suit you.

How accessible this website is

We aim to review accessibility regularly and when we make major changes to the website. We strive to address any known issues as well as provide further improvements where possible.

We work with our staff responsible for writing content for the website, to help them write clearly and produce more accessible content.

  • Some older PDF documents published before 23 September 2020 could be made more accessible
  • We have made a number of fixes and will ensure accessibility is a key consideration when reviewing our website platform options in 2025.

We will update the statement as issues are fixed. A list the issues we fix  since the last update will appear in this statement under the heading ‘What we’re doing to improve accessibility’.

How to request content in an accessible format

If you need information on this website in a different format please email contactus@psr.org.uk and tell us:

  • The web address (URL) of the content that you need
  • Your name and email address
  • The type of format that you need – for example large print, braille or audio

How to provide feedback or report an issue

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, then we welcome your feedback. Please contact us directly in the first instance by sending an email to contactus@psr.org.uk

Enforcement procedure

If you have already contacted us at contactus@psr.org.uk and you are not satisfied with the response you can contact the  Equality Advisory and Support Service.

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’).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The PSR is committed to making its website psr.org.uk 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.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations.

  • Some older PDF documents published before 23 September 2020 could be made more accessible

Disproportionate burden

Not applicable.

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

The following accessibility problems fall outside the scope of the accessibility regulations.

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.

Content can be scaled up to 200% without adverse effects. WCAG 2.0 Resize text 1.4.4 - content satisfies the success criterion if it can be scaled up to 200%, that is, up to twice the width and height.

Testing has been focused within scope of the accessibility regulations, so there are no other known issues outside of the regulations that we are aware of.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are reviewing the issues for each area listed above. We will update this page listing issues fixed since the previous statement, below.

We include accessibility acceptance criteria when developing new components.

In December 2023 we fixed the following known issues.

  • The “Share this” sharing tool doesn't fully meet the required contrast levels. This fails WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).
    • The ShareThis tool now has the same colour for all buttons which exceed the minimum AA contrast ratio.
  • When selecting a user interface component with the keyboard, the focus indicator is sometimes obscured. Ensure focus is not fully obscured - WCAG 2.2 AA 2.4.12.
    • The search and menu buttons no longer wrap vertically and obscure the breadcrumb.
  • There is no way to skip the repeated content in the page header, for example a ‘skip to main content’ option. Bypass blocks - WCAG 2.1 A 2.4.1.
    • A skip link button has been added.
  • Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1.
    • All images now have alt text and the ARIA Role=”presentation” was added to the all banner images, to tell the screen reader these are decorative.
  • Some forms are in PDF format, we aim to have these converted to web forms, a more accessible format for forms which users have to fill out.
    • All PDF forms have been recreated as online web forms.
  • There are instances where text on links (particularly button links) are generic and lack context. This is because many publication titles are too long to accommodate within the button or allocated space. Ensure links explain their purpose - WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.4.
    • The “Download” button link has been coded to add the document name to the title attribute, so screen readers and hover tool tip reads the document title.
  • In some cases, interactive controls could be made larger. Footer links tested passed, but breadcrumb links didn’t meet minimum height. Ensure all interactive targets are at least 24x24 pixels in size. WCAG 2.1 2.5.8 AA Target size minimum.
    • Top and bottom padding for the clickable breadcrumb options has been increased, so each breadcrumb element meets the minimum clickable target height of 24px.
  • Some older PDFs are not fully accessible. Due to the scale of the remediation work this was undertaken strategically to focus on fixing the criteria which we were advised would have the greatest impact. Therefore, all documents dating back to 23 September 2020 are now compliant with the key listed criterion below.

    Ensure PDFs have a title WCAG 2.0 2.4.2 A

    Ensure the first heading in a PDF is a H1 WCAG 2.0 1.3.1

    Specify headings for every PDF WCAG 2.0 1.3.1

In 2022 we set up comprehensive accessibility monitoring using the Silktide web governance platform. Accessibility will remain a important consideration when evaluating our future website platform options.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was originally prepared on 17th June 2021. The website was most recently re-tested on 22 December 2023. The statement was last updated on 20 November 2024 to reflect the upcoming review of our overall website setup.

In 2025 we will be reviewing our website platform and overall setup for flexibility, scalability and the organisations future needs, accessibility and the new WCAG 2.2 standards will be an integral consideration. 

Our website is currently being tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level A and level AA standards.

The website is now monitored by the web accessibility testing platform Silktide, which performs comprehensive accessibility checks and highlights assisted checks.