The Public Health Agency is committed to ensuring the information on its websites is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.
We are committed to ensuring the information on our websites is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. We aim for a high level of usability for everyone across all of our websites, following best practice accessibility guidelines where possible.
This statement outlines our ongoing efforts to maintain a website that conforms to the international WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and complies with relevant legislation in the European Union.
Below is information about our websites, including ways to help increase accessibility for all our users.
Using our website
Our websites are designed to meet accessibility standards as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- 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 (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
Links
We aim to ensure all text links are written, so they make sense when read out of context.
How accessible this website is
Parts of this website are not fully accessible, for example:
- some document attachments are not clearly written
- some heading elements are not consistent
- some error messages are not clearly associated with form controls
- some of the features within the site are not fully accessible by keyboard
- some documents are in PDF format and are not accessible
- some images may include text on the image
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Changing the font size on our website
You can change the text size in most browsers by holding the Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) key on your keyboard and using the plus and minus keys.
Navigating using keys
You can navigate around this website using the tab key on your keyboard.
Using ReachDeck
We want this website to be easily navigated and understood by everyone, whatever their device or browser. We understand that some people may need help to get the most out of the site. ReachDeck lets you customise our website to make it easier to use. It offers a host of features, including reading and translation support, to allow you to access and understand our website.
ReachDeck adds speech, reading and translation support tools to online content ReachDeck Accessibility Toolbar. It works on all major browsers and platforms, including mobile phones and tablets. Simply click on the ReachDeck icon located at the top right on all web pages and you will see it dock to the top of your screen. Then click on the first ‘pointed finger’ icon on the toolbar and hover your mouse pointer over any text on our website to hear it read out loud.
- Text-to-speech: click on or select any text to hear it read aloud
- Translation: translate content into over 100 languages
- Text magnification: enlarge text and hear it read out loud
- MP3 generation: convert selected text into an MP3 audio file
- Screen mask: reduce glare with a tinted mask
- Web page simplifier: remove clutter from the screen. Display only the main text
- Picture dictionary: displays pictures related to text selected on the page
- Settings: customise options to suit individual needs or preferences
View the ReachDeck Toolbar Video.
Click on the ReachDeck launchpad logo that appears on the bottom of your screen.
This will launch the ReachDeck toolbar. Then simply click on any text to hear it read out loud or choose your language to translate our website.
All the features are accessed from this easy-to-use, floating toolbar – allowing you to drag and drop it anywhere on screen.
How to translate information on the PHA website using ReachDeck and translations
Enforcement procedure
The Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI)
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
We are committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
https://www.stopsmokingni.info is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are increasing accessibility training and guidance for our web publishers and digital content editors. Any new content added to our site will be reviewed using online accessibly tools to ensure compliance.
We aim to resolve any outstanding accessibility issues by 31/12/2024.
PDFs and other documents
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
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.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Feedback and contact information
We value your feedback. If you encounter any accessibility barriers while using our website or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us.
We are committed to addressing any concerns and ensuring a positive user experience for all visitors.