Accessible documents policy - Office of the Public Guardian - GOV.UK
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:26
Accessible documents policy - Office of the Public Guardian - GOV.UK
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Accessible documents policy
This policy explains how accessible the documents Office of the Public Guardian publishes on GOV.UK are.
Office of the
Public Guardian
Office of the Public Guardian publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF, PDF forms and Zip.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:
provide an HTML option where possible
tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
write in plain English
New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.
However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:
are not tagged up properly - for example, they do not contain proper headings
are not written in plain English
are online forms that are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
contain images and charts without a textual description
include complex tables
are forms which have guidance in a separate PDF to help completion
This mostly applies to our:
corporate reports
statutory guidance
forms
These types of documents are
exempt from the regulations
, so we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible.
But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.
What to do if you cannot use one of our documents
If you need a document we’ve published in a different format:
email customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk
call
0300 456 0300
We’ll consider the request and get back to you in 10 days.
Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email
customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk
or call
0300 456 0300
.
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)
.
Technical information about the accessibility of our documents
Office of the Public Guardian is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
The documents Office of the Public Guardian publishes are partially compliant with the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1
AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Some of our documents have diagrams and/or tables. Some of these do not have a text alternative, so the information in them isn’t available to people using a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Many of our older PDFs 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).
Some of our PDFs are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services. By September 2020, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
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 ‘
Your voice, your decision: campaign materials
’.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
How we tested our documents
We last tested a sample of our documents in September 2020. The test was carried out by the Office of the Public Guardian Content Design team.
We tested PDF documents and PDF forms.
We decided to test these types of document, as aside from HTML, these are the most used document formats in OPG.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
updating corporate Word and PDF templates to an accessible format
creating documents as HTML rather than PDF where possible
raising awareness across the organisation and encouraging the use of clear English in reports
This page was prepared on 8 September 2021. It was last updated on 8 September 2021.
Contents
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Cookies on GOV.UK
We use some essential cookies to make this website work.
We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.
We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.
You have accepted additional cookies.
You can
change your cookie settings
at any time.
You have rejected additional cookies.
You can
change your cookie settings
at any time.
View cookies
Skip to main content
Accessible documents policy
This policy explains how accessible the documents Office of the Public Guardian publishes on GOV.UK are.
Office of the
Public Guardian
Office of the Public Guardian publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF, PDF forms and Zip.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:
provide an HTML option where possible
tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
write in plain English
New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.
However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:
are not tagged up properly - for example, they do not contain proper headings
are not written in plain English
are online forms that are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
contain images and charts without a textual description
include complex tables
are forms which have guidance in a separate PDF to help completion
This mostly applies to our:
corporate reports
statutory guidance
forms
These types of documents are
exempt from the regulations
, so we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible.
But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.
What to do if you cannot use one of our documents
If you need a document we’ve published in a different format:
email customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk
call
0300 456 0300
We’ll consider the request and get back to you in 10 days.
Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email
customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk
or call
0300 456 0300
.
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)
.
Technical information about the accessibility of our documents
Office of the Public Guardian is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
The documents Office of the Public Guardian publishes are partially compliant with the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1
AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Some of our documents have diagrams and/or tables. Some of these do not have a text alternative, so the information in them isn’t available to people using a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Many of our older PDFs 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).
Some of our PDFs are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services. By September 2020, we plan to either fix these or replace them with accessible HTML pages.
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 ‘
Your voice, your decision: campaign materials
’.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
How we tested our documents
We last tested a sample of our documents in September 2020. The test was carried out by the Office of the Public Guardian Content Design team.
We tested PDF documents and PDF forms.
We decided to test these types of document, as aside from HTML, these are the most used document formats in OPG.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
updating corporate Word and PDF templates to an accessible format
creating documents as HTML rather than PDF where possible
raising awareness across the organisation and encouraging the use of clear English in reports
This page was prepared on 8 September 2021. It was last updated on 8 September 2021.
Contents
Is this page useful?
Maybe
Thank you for your feedback
Help us improve GOV.UK
To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today.
Please fill in this survey (opens in a new tab
)
.