A large mural created by young people of York in care.

Speak Up Accessibility Statement

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

This statement applies to content published on the speakupyork.co.uk domain.

Speak Up York is committed to making our website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

To find out more about how our website meets accessibility guidelines please see:

Accessibility of our online services

It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 300% without problems
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • use most of our online services with screen reader software

Most of our online services work when scripts, applets or other programmatic objects are turned off, or aren't supported by a device. However, your experience using online services without scripts running may degrade.

Our online services are partially compliant with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as 'WCAG 2.1 AA'. Get details of online services which don't meet accessibility standards, and online services exempt from accessibility standards.

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Requesting services in an accessible format

If you need information in a different format email: [email protected], and tell us:

  • the location of the information (copy and paste the URL/address from your browser address bar)
  • your name and email address (so we can respond)
  • the format you need (for example, audio CD, braille, British Sign Language (BSL), large print, accessible PDF)

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Feedback and contact information

You can report accessibility problems with this website if you find any issues that are not listed on this page, or you think we’re not meeting accessibility regulations. Email: [email protected] in the first instance, so that we can work to resolve the issue. If you contact us with a complaint about the accessibility of our online services, and you’re not happy with our response the Equality Advisory and Support Service may be able to help you.

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. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

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How accessible this website is

Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:

  • some links use the same link text for different destinations
  • some interactive controls are not large enough
  • some PDFs need tagging
  • some PDFs need to specify new headings
  • we need to fix duplicate IDs
  • we need to ensure PDFs specify a default language

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Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), due to the following non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations:

  • avoid using the same link text for different destinations - this relates to success criterion WCAG (A) 2.4.4
  • aim for large interactive controls - this relates to success criterion WCAG (AAA) 2.5.5
  • tag all PDFs - this relates to success criterion WCAG (A) 1.3.1
  • specify new headings for every PDF - this relates to success criterion WCAG (A) 1.3.1
  • fix duplicate IDs - this relates to success criterion WCAG (A) 4.1.1
  • ensure PDFs specify a default language - this relates to success criterion WCAG (A) 3.1.1

Where downloads (in PDF, and other file formats) do not meet accessibility standards we plan to fix or replace them, either when they are next reviewed, or as part of our ongoing programme of review work, whichever is sooner.

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Online services which are exempt from accessibility standards

Parts of our online services are exempt from accessibility standards:

  • the accessibility regulations do not require us to 'fix' downloads if they were published before 23 September 2018 (if they’re not essential to providing services); we will not edit downloads that are supplied to us by other organisations or members of the public to make them accessible
  • we do not plan to add captions to live video streams, because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations, as are pre-recorded audio and videos published before 23 September 2020
  • maps are exempt from accessibility regulations, but we're working to provide essential information in accessible ways; email us about requesting services in an accessible format. We don’t yet have a way of presenting geographical information (maps and site plans etc.) in a fully accessible format. However, as new technologies emerge, we'll review our online services

Accessibility exemptions in our work with third-parties

We brief suppliers on our requirement to meet accessibility regulations; while some elements remain beyond our control, we aim to procure services with accessible outcomes in mind, and to highlight potential improvements suppliers need to consider.

Software linked from our website, which is under the control of our suppliers, may not be accessible if our contract with them does not cover accessible development of 'out of the box' functionality. However, we aim to work with suppliers whose products are as accessible as possible, when contracts are reviewed/renewed. If we create content hosted on external platforms (for example, national databases, social media, video-hosting or survey platforms) we endeavour to ensure the content we upload meets accessibility requirements, and is configured in the most accessible way the platform allows. However, we're not responsible for the accessibility of third-party platforms.

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What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We’re committed to being a fair and inclusive website, and we're passionate about providing accessible services, ensuring they’re properly designed and coded, so more people can use them, more easily, regardless of their hardware, software, language, location, or ability.

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Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on Tuesday 24 October 2023 and last reviewed on October 2025.

Our online services are currently being (and will continue to be) reviewed for compliance with WCAG standards by City of York Council's Web Services Team, who carry out manual checks, alongside weekly automated sample testing which (together with usage data) informs and prioritise our actions for improving accessibility across online services.

Online services are re-assessed for accessibility whenever a major modification is undertaken; 'page content' is checked every time it is updated. Our current estimate is that further accessibility fixes to address non-accessible content on this site, will be undertaken during 2026.

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