The Open College of the Arts is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to the OCA website. This website is run by OCA, and hosted by Splitpixel. We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites and mobile apps, and accessibility is an essential part of our mission. In our Student Accessibility Policy you’ll find everything you need to answer any questions you have about accessibility, whether you’re a student or a member of staff.
The bullet points below list what the OCA website should be able to do as a minimum.
To adapt the content to your needs or preferences you should be able to:
- Change colours, contrasts levels and fonts.
- Resize text up to 200% without impact on the functionality of the website.
- Zoom in up to 400% without loss of information or functionality.
- Navigate the website using just a keyboard.
- tab to ‘Skip to content’ links at the top of the page to jump over repetitive information to the main content.
- tab through the content; the current location will be indicated by a clear visual change.
- control the embedded media player to play audio and video materials.
- Use a screen reader (e.g. JAWs, NVDA) to:
- listen to the content of web pages and use any functionality on the page.
- list the headings and subheadings in the page and then jump to their location on the page.
- bring up a list of meaningful links on the page.
- Use transcripts or closed captions with most audio and video materials.
- Download learning materials in alternative formats (e.g. Word document, PDF, ePub).
- AbilityNet also provides advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
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This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliance(s) and/or the exemptions listed below.
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The majority of content elements in our website are accessible and do not contain the problems below. This has been confirmed by testing and auditing.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non Compliance with the Accessibility Regulations
- Resizing of text affects buttons, interrupting text: When text is resized, the buttons do not reflect this change, leading to them covering a portion of the text, thereby making it unreadable. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.4 Resize Text (Level AA). This issue will be addressed by the end of July 2027.
- Links without descriptive text: Some links on the website use non-descriptive text, such as “Click here” or image links without alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A). This issue will be addressed by the end of July 2027.
- Form contained within a list item: On the website, there is a form (or multiple forms) that are incorrectly contained within a list item (<li>) element. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A). This issue will be addressed by the end of July 2027.
- Lack of semantic headings: The website lacks proper use of semantic heading elements (e.g., <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc.) to structure and organize content. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A). This issue will be addressed by the end of July 2027.
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The following types of content may not always be accessible, and they are not included within the scope of the accessibility regulation.
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Wherever possible we provide transcripts for audio, and captions, audio descriptions and transcripts for video. Sometimes these alternatives are not available. Pre-recorded time-based media published before 23rd September 2020 is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
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Adding captions to all live video streams is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
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PDFs or other documents that are not essential to providing our services and were published before 23rd September 2018 are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. We are working to ensure that any new PDFs or other documents that we publish will meet accessibility standards.
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Online maps and mapping services are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
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Content published on an intranet or extranet (such as WeAreOCA) that is published before 23rd September 2019 is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations, unless a major revision is made to the content after this date.
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Third party content that is not funded, developed by, or under the control of OCA is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulation
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This statement was prepared in September 2026. It was last reviewed in September 2026.
The OCA website was recently retested by the Accessibility and Usability Evaluation (AUE) team at the Open University to verify issues identified in a previous audit. During this retest, 13 previously reported issues were confirmed as resolved. A new full accessibility audit will be scheduled to provide a comprehensive assessment of the website’s current accessibility status.
The pages tested were chosen to be representative of different types of content and platform, and high traffic pages. Each sample page was tested against all of the WCAG 2.2 AA criteria using a combination of manual and automated test methods. Test methods included:
- Keyboard-only testing
- Testing with a screen reader (Non-Visual Desktop Access, NVDA)
- Axe browser extension for Chrome
- Siteimprove browser extension for Chrome
- Color Contrast Analyser Tool from the Paciello Group
- Validating code using the W3C Validator tool.
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If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
- email webupdates@oca.ac.uk
- call 01226 978330
We will consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days. If you are a student and need support, please remember to include your student ID number and contact details so we can get back to you.
We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you discover a problem, not already listed above, or you think we’re not meeting the requirements of the current accessibility regulations (Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018), please contact us using the details listed above.
We will ask you for the web address (URL) of the page and a description of the problem. We will also ask for your name and email address so that we can contact you about your feedback. You should expect to hear back from us within 10 working days.
If you are a student, or someone who has had contact with OCA before, and have a complaint about the accessibility of our websites, you should raise a complaint via the Student Complaints Policy.
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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’).
If you are based in the UK, and you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).