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Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the www.newrymournedown.org/ website.

This statement was prepared on 22/12/2025.

This website is run by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. 

How you should be able to use this website

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, you should be able to:
  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using your browser or device settings
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard
  • use speech-recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using major screen readers
We also aim to use clear, simple language throughout the site.
 
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
 

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
  • Many of our PDFs and Word documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software and may not be structured correctly.
  • Some images do not have appropriate alternative text.
  • Some tables are not structured correctly, meaning assistive technologies may have difficulty understanding the information.
  • Some pages contain duplicate, unclear, or non-descriptive link or button text.
  • Some images and documents used to convey information have poor colour contrast.
  • Some pages use images of text instead of text.
  • Some form fields or interactive components may not be fully compatible with assistive technology or keyboard navigation.
  • Some pre-recorded videos do not have captions or transcripts.
  • Live video streams do not have captions (live video is exempt from the regulations).
We are working to resolve these issues as part of an ongoing accessibility improvement programme.
 

Feedback, reporting issues and alternative formats

If you experience any accessibility problems* on this website, or if you need information in an alternative accessible format, please contact us:
Telephone: 0330 137 4006  
 
When contacting us, please include (where possible):
  • the web address (URL) of the page
  • what you were trying to do
  • the problem you experienced
  • details of your browser and device
We will review your request or feedback and respond within 10 working days.
 
* Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Equality Scheme (revised 2025) was drawn up in accordance with Section 75 and Schedule 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, (Chapter 6, paragraph 6.3) states “To ensure equality of opportunity in accessing information, we provide information in alternative formats on request, where reasonably practicable. Where the exact request cannot be met, we will ensure a reasonable alternative is provided.”

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, you can contact ECNI: www.equalityni.org/Home
 

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is committed to making its website 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 (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below

Non-accessible content

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

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  1. Some images on the website do not have suitable alternative text. This means users of screen readers may not be able to access information conveyed in images. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  2. Some tables do not have appropriate row or column headers, and some tables are structured incorrectly. This means assistive technologies may not be able to understand the relationships between information in the tables. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  3. Some PDFs and other non-HTML documents are not tagged or structured correctly, do not have defined document language, or are missing text alternatives. As a result, these documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader users. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 3.1.1 (Language of Page).
  4. Some page elements, images, and documents do not meet colour contrast requirements. This includes images containing text or important visual elements with insufficient contrast against their background. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)) and 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast).
  5. Some pages use images of text instead of text. This can make content harder to read for users who rely on screen magnification or custom text settings. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.5 (Images of Text).
  6. Some buttons or links use repeated, unclear, or non-descriptive text, or their labels do not clearly describe their purpose. This can make navigation more difficult for users of assistive technologies. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose) and 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
  7. Some images of text used as links do not have image descriptions that include all visible text, meaning the accessible name does not match the visible label. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.3 (Label in Name).
  8. Some interactive elements or form fields are not fully accessible using a keyboard, or do not have a visible keyboard focus indicator. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard) and 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
  9. Some pre-recorded videos published on the website do not have captions or a transcript. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 (Captions) and 1.2.3 (Audio Description or Media Alternative).
  10. The change in the default written language is not correctly identified on some pages. This means screen readers may not read content correctly. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts).
  11. Some links that reveal more content can cause screen reader users to lose their position on the page. This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).

Many documents are in non-HTML formats, for example PDF. They are not accessible in several ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.

Content that is not within the scope of the regulations

  • PDFs or documents published before 23 September 2018 that are not essential to providing services.
  • Live video streams (captions not required for live content).
  • This website may include content hosted on external platforms. We do not have control over these platforms and therefore cannot guarantee that all aspects of their content are fully accessible.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are taking the following steps to improve accessibility on an ongoing basis:
  • conducting manual accessibility testing
  • providing training to staff who publish website content
  • working with external suppliers to address system-level accessibility issues
  • reviewing digital content (including PDFs and forms) to ensure new items meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

Testing is carried out by ReachDeck Web Accessibility Checker and manual review of the most visited pages.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is here to help a wider audience browse, buy and access our online content and services in a way that suits them best. The ReachDeck Toolbar (previously Browsealoud) allows website visitors to personalise how they access our information. And helps those that might struggle in a digital-first world.

ReachDeck is software that reads the content of web pages within our Corporate site. For example it can highlight and read text aloud as well as translate pages into other languages. The software is useful for people:
 
•    with a vision impairment
•    who have difficulty reading
•    who prefer to read the site in another language

ReachDeck Logo

Use ReachDeck

Select the ReachDeck icon to start. This usually found at the top of every page. There are nine tools including a help option which tells you what each tool does.

How to use the ReachDeck tools

There are 11 icons on the toolbar to help make our website more accessible for you, including a help and settings option.

ReachDeck Toolbar

ReachDeck toolbar

1. Hover to speak
This tool will read out loud each sentence you hover over. It will then continue, sentence by sentence, until it reaches the end or you close the tool.
 
2. Speak the current selection
This is similar to the 'Hover to speak' tool. The difference is that this tool will read a highlighted section of text. If you don't select text, it will read out the entire page.
 
3. Stop playing
This allows you to stop playing the selection of text.
 
4. Translate page
This tool translates the text on the page to different languages. When you click on the tool, a  list of languages will appear in a drop down menu. Choose a language and it will translate the page.
 
5. Picture dictionary
This tool allows you to highlight a word and get images to help define words.
 
6. MP3 maker
This will create an MP3 sound file which you can download and play on your MP3 player, smartphone or computer. You will need to select the text you want to convert into an MP3 file, then click on the tool.
 
7. Screen mask
The screen mask highlights a rectangular section of the screen to help people with some forms of dyslexia or learning difficulties. There are two options for this tool which you can change in the settings menu.
 
•    The ruler darkens the rectangular section and is like reading a page using a ruler to follow line by line.
•    The letter box is the reverse: the rest of the page is darkened and the rectangular section is lighter.
 
8. Text magnifier
The text magnifier is at the top of the page and you will be able to hear the text read out loud. You can change the size of the magnified text in the settings menu from a choice of five options.
 
9. Simplify
This tool will strip out all the distracting menus and boxes from a page, and leave just the article. It is useful for reading long pages of text as well as printing pages. You can also use the 'Text colour' features in 'Simplify mode' if you prefer a different background colour.
 
10. Help
This button provides a quick list of the features described on this page.
 
11. Settings
If you want to make changes to any of the tool's settings like text size for the magnifier or voice speed for the read out loud tools, you can do so in Settings. You will need to click on the save button once you've finished making changes.

Video Overview of ReachDeck

In this ReachDeck video below listen as Stuart Blair, Workplace Product Manager at Texthelp, gives a quick overview of the ReachDeck Toolbar.