Accessibility Statement for the Student Chat (Unibuddy) mobile application | Study

Application accessibility statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to:

(Android) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unibuddy&hl=en_GB

(iOS) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/unibuddy/id1548743285

This mobile application is run by the Student Recruitment and Admissions Directors Office at the University of Edinburgh. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:

experience no time limits when using the app
use the app without encountering any cognitive function tests
have information conveyed not only by colour

We’ve also made the application’s text as simple as possible to understand. However, some of our content is technical, and we use technical terms where there is no easier wording we could use without changing what the text means.

Customising the website

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:

AbilityNet - My Computer My Way

How accessible this application is

We know some parts of this application are not fully accessible:

there are colour contrast issues
data validation error messages do not give a clear description of the error
pinch and expand doesn’t work
there are moving images which can’t be paused
some links open the browser without warning
some text to speech options have issues with reading some content and acknowledging headings
links open the browser without warning
not all images have alt text
there are videos without transcripts and/or human corrected captions
there are videos without audio description
mobile accessibility settings to customise the app are not fully compatible
iOS version can’t be viewed in landscape

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this application in a different format, including accessible PDF, large print, audio recording or braille:

Email: student.ambassadors@ed.ac.uk
Telephone: 0131 6504198
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the online BSL interpreting service.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this application

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this application. If you find any problems not listed on this page, or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

Email: student.ambassadors@ed.ac.uk
Telephone: 0131 6504198
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the online BSL interpreting service.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

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 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly:

Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:

Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website

Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language

Contact Scotland BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact Scotland BSL service

Technical information about this application's accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites and applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This application is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The full guidelines are available at:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard

Non accessible content

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

Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations

The following items do not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:

Non-text content does not have meaningful alternative text
- 1.1.1: Non-text Content
No transcript is available for video content
- 1.2.1: Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
No human corrected captions are available on video content
- 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded)
No audio description available
- 1.2.5: Audio Description (Prerecorded)
<ul> and <ol> do not only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements
- 1.3.1: Info and Relationships
The site cannot be viewed in landscape mode
- 1.3.4: Orientation
Some information was conveyed in colour only
- 1.4.1: Use of Colour
Colour contrast is not always sufficient between text and background colours
- 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum)
Text is presented as images
- 1.4.5: Images of Text
The scrollable region isn’t accessible by keyboard
- 2.1.1: Keyboard
Moving loading icons can't be paused or stopped
- 2.2.2: Pause, Stop, Hide
Skip to main content functionality does not work in the settings section
- 2.4.1: Bypass Blocks
Headings do not follow a logical order
- 2.4.6 Headings and Labels
It can be unclear where you have navigated to by keyboard
- 2.4.7: Focus Visible
Links that open new tabs or windows do not have a visual or audio warning
- 3.2.2: On Input
Help is not located on the same place on each page
- 3.2.6 Consistent Help
Data validation messages have colour contrast issues
- 3.3.1: Error Identification
When a user is asked to rectify a data validation error, suggestions are not always consistent or informative
- 3.3.3 - Error Suggestion
Content is not robust enough that it can be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies
- 4.1.2 - Name, Role, Value

We aim to improve our application's accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we're doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our app accessibility.

We are working towards solving these problems and expect significant improvements by June 2025. The site is not within our control.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

At this time, we believe there is no content which is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to address the accessibility issues highlighted, working alongside the software suppliers for Unibuddy to deliver a solution or suitable workaround. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place for those items within our control by July 2025. However, most of the issues are not within our control but sit with Unibuddy. We are in contact with Unibuddy to discuss how best to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this application.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 23rd July 2024. It was last reviewed on 23rd July 2024.

The application was last tested on 19th July 2024. The testing was carried out by the Service Management team at the University of Edinburgh using manual methods. The app was tested on mobile, primarily using iOS (iPhone SE) and Android (Samsung Galaxy A35).

We manual tested the following:

spell check functionality
options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc)
data validation
warning of links opening in new tab or window
information conveyed in the colour or sound only
flashing, moving or scrolling text
tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content #
time limits
compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS)
compatibility with Mobile screen readers TalkBack and Voice over
any drag functionality and alternatives
help functionality being located in the same place on each page
colour contrasts
the need for any specific keystrokes
the ability to view the application in landscape and portrait mode
no need to re-enter data already submitted
any cognitive tests

This article was published on 2025-03-03