Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the https://www.cssd.ac.uk/ website, but none of the subdomains such as:

This website is run by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen and without content being truncated or overlapping
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)

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.

This website has a Recite Me Web Accessibility and Language Toolbar. Learn more about how to use this toolbar in the user guide.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. We aim to fix all of these issues by the end of 2024.

In some places we rely on functionality provided by third parties that is not fully accessible. This includes the Recite Me toolbar and Google maps. We do not have control over the accessibility features of these tools
Some input fields that collect an individual’s personal data in the “Verification of awards” page do not have the necessary “autocomplete” attributes.

In the image galleries, the thumbnail images and Close buttons in images that have been expanded do not have a focus indicator.
In the image gallery on the MA/MFA Scenography Exhibition 2023 page, some slides and images that can reveal larger images cannot be operated with the keyboard. The same occurs with all the buttons in the virtual tour page.

Issues affecting people with low vision

Many combinations of text and background colour do not have sufficient colour contrast.
Various button icons, focus indicators of buttons and form controls do not have sufficient colour contrast against the background.

Issues affecting video and audio content

Some embedded videos have no captions or audio description of the visual content.

The Google map logo does not have an appropriate alternative description.
Some images do not have alternate text.
The date picker headings, the button to open the cookie settings, carousel and headings on some pages are not marked up correctly for screen readers. This also includes the HTML table in the Federal Student Aid page and all buttons in the Recite Me toolbar whereby screen reader users may not understand the purpose or functionality of that content.
Some headings are not marked-up correctly so screen reader users cannot identify the structure of the content.
The date picker on the events page is not marked-up correctly for screen readers.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or Braille:

email web.accessibility@cssd.ac.uk
call +44 (0)20 7722 8183

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

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, call or email us for directions.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email: web.accessibility@cssd.ac.uk for general accessibility issues or contact Kate McCurdy, Digital Content and Social Media Manager, kate.mccurdy@cssd.ac.uk.

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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Some of our offices have audio induction loops. If you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter for Central students and staff.

Find out how to contact us.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama 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 version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

Some parts of our website may not work for everyone. The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

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

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
The Google map logo does not have an appropriate description. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
Not all images have alternate text that correctly conveys the information in them. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
The video in the Holly Boyden alumni stories page does not contain any captions. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.2 (Captions (Pre-recorded)).
Some videos have no audio description for their visual content. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.3 (Audio description or media alternative (Pre-recorded)) and WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.5 (Audio description (Pre-recorded).
The date picker headings, the button to open the cookie settings, carousel and headings on some pages are not marked up correctly for assistive technologies. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships) and WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role, value).
TPL: We have removed the references to the breadcrumb navigation list and pagination links.
The data tables in the Federal Student Aid page and all buttons in the Recite Me toolbar are not coded correctly for assistive technologies. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships) and WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role, value).
The date picker on the events page is not marked up correctly for assistive technologies. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships) and WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, role, value).
Some input fields that collect an individual’s personal data in the Verification of awards page do not have the necessary “autocomplete” attributes. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose).
Some combinations of text and background colour do not have sufficient colour contrast. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (Colour Contrast).
Some of the icons in the podcast player do not have sufficient colour contrast against the background. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast).
TPL: We have removed the references to the various checkbox borders, button icons, focus indicators of links and buttons and form controls.
In the image galleries, the thumbnail images and Close buttons in images that have been expanded do not have a focus indicator. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
There are HTML validation errors on some pages. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing).

Content that is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other documents

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents.

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. For example, we do not plan to fix:

Legacy PDFs and other Office documents.
Legacy video content
Online maps and mapping services
Third party content

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We aim to fix all of the issues listed above by the end of 2024.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 30 August 2023 by Test Partners. It was last reviewed on 6 September 2023.

This website was last tested on 30 August 2023 by Test Partners.

Test Partners followed GOV.UK guidance on deciding how to check the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s website as follows:

We used an automated website mapping tool to identify all the pages and documents on the website.
We identified any subdomains that are out of scope and removed all the pages from the page list.
We removed all the documents from the list. We are currently using the disproportionate burden exemption, but we are planning a programme of remediation.
We identified a minimum representative subset of pages that contain examples of the most common layouts, components, and features, including:
The header and footer.
Pages with text content and data tables.
Pages with informational images without text equivalent, images of text and video content.
Interactive elements such as accordions, carousel, cards, content filtering, date picker, image gallery forms, map, pagination links, and tabbed interfaces.
We conducted a manual WCAG audit on the representative subset of pages.

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama