Introduction
Purpose
Advance HE is committed to ensuring digital accessibility and strives to continually improve the user experience for everyone by making its website and applications as accessible as possible in line with the UK 2018 accessibility requirements for public sector bodies and conforming to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
Advance HE offers services and products to the European market and therefore ensures that it conforms with the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882).
Advance HE Connect (“Connect”) is maintained by Advance HE who utilises HiveBrite’s online community platform to host.
This Accessibility Statement (“the Statement”) applies to Connect which includes information on the following third-party suppliers:
- HiveBrite - Further information about how HiveBrite meets accessibility standards is available in their VPAT Statement.
General Description
Advance HE provides users with access to an online community platform, Connect, to allow them to share their own content and engage in discussions with other professionals in the Higher Education sector.
Connect
HiveBrite has been designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. This reflects Advance HE’s commitment to making Connect as inclusive and user-friendly as possible.
Using Connect
HiveBrite includes a range of features that support accessible use, these are as follows:
- Images are added in custom pages to support the addition of alternative text.
- Users can move through most of the Platform using just a keyboard, without needing a mouse.
- Pages are organised with headings that describes topics or purpose.
- Links are labelled in a way that explains where they lead or what they do, which helps everyone understand their purpose.
- Users can also zoom in up to 200% without content spilling off the screen.
Compliance Status
Connect has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard.
Connect is partially compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible Content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:
- Survey Modules of the platform do not provide labels or instructions when content requires user input.
- Purpose of each input field collecting information does not support programmatically determined.
- Users are unable to resize texts up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
- Non-text contrast is not supported.
- Text spacing is not supported.
- Additional content is not present when hover or focus is used.
Exemptions
Advance HE is committed to making all aspects of its services accessible; however, it has identified that there are various aspects of its offering which are out of scope with the appropriate compliance regulations, including the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882).
Third-party content
The Connect contains third-party content which is created by user of the platform. Advance HE does not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of this content and therefore exempt under Article 02/4(d) of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882), however will work with third-party suppliers as far as possible to address accessibility concerns.
Content Published Prior to 28 June 2025
Under the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882), any published content which is classified as “Pre-Recorded, Time-Based Media” and “Office File Formats” which were published prior to the 28 June 2025 are out of scope (Article 02/4(a/b)).
However, Advance HE will ensure that any edited or new content will be in line with accessibility obligations under the European Accessibility (Directive (EU) 2019/882).
Improvement Plan
Advance HE are aware that some areas of Connect still require improvement in terms of accessibility and are actively working to address these issues. View the Advance HE Accessibility 2030 Roadmap.
Further Information
If users experience a barrier, find an issue not mentioned here, please get in touch using the contact details below.
To request an alternative format or report an accessibility issue, please contact the Networks Team on the contact information below:
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: Advance HE IC 2.12 Innovation Centre, Innovation Way, York Science Park, York, YO10 5DG.
The Networks Team will aim to respond to any requests or concerns within seven working days.
Complaints Procedures
In the first instance, should a user have a complaint regarding how Advance HE has responded to their concerns and request, they can raise a complaint as per the Advance HE’s Complaints, Comments and Matters of Concern Policy by emailing the Compliance team on [email protected].
After the inhouse complaints procedure has concluded, and should the user continue to be unsatisfied with the service, they can raise their concerns to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) who is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). Users can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
For Northern Ireland users, they can raise their complaint with the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland who are responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland.