Accessibility

FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot is operated by Scottish Enterprise and Partners.

Scottish Enterprise and the delivery partners are committed to making our services accessible to everyone who could benefit from them, irrespective of any disability they may have.

Scottish Enterprise is committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1  AA standard, due to the issues listed on this page.

This statement was prepared on 8 February 2022. It was last reviewed on 28 March 2023.

 

How we approach accessibility

We regularly test our websites with disabled users to identify and address any issues. We have an in-house accessibility lab and testing team, who test new features and changes to the site for accessibility issues. This website was last tested in March 2023. The test was carried out by our internal test team.

As well as aiming to build our website in a way that’s easy for all users to use and navigate, we’re also working toward making the language we use as simple as possible to understand by using plain English principles.

AbilityNet, external link which will open in a new window has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

 

Accessibility problems we've found

The following issue were identified during the last accessibility audit done in March 2023, we are looking to have these fixed by November 2023:

  • Homepage
    • The homepage search panel and the ‘is there something wrong with this page’ link at the bottom of each page use a fieldset but don’t have a legend. This makes it difficult for assistive technology to understand their purpose.
  • Browse Support
    • On the ‘browse support’ page, the tabs are not marked up correctly to inform assistive technology that there is more than one tab available.
    • On the ‘browse support’ end dates tab, the ‘to’ field doesn’t have its error message linked up properly.
    • In testing, some users felt that the size of check boxes were too small.
    • Check box groups do not follow normal keyboard control patterns, meaning arrow keys can’t be used to navigate through filters on ‘browse support’.
  • Newsletter sign up form
    • The newsletter sign up form has colour contrast issues and text which is too small.
  • General
    • Skip to main content link is broken on the ‘browse support’ page
    • Several pages make use of the aria-controls attribute, but the destination of what it controls doesn’t exist on the page. 
    • To access our live chat tool, you need to tab through all other links on the page first
  • Enquiry forms
    • On enquiry forms, validation errors are wrapped in a list, however this list has a role of navigation instead of being wrapped in its own navigation element.  This means assistive technology won’t know it’s an error list.
    • Enquiry forms have an empty header. This will be picked up by tech which allows users to skip into or show a list of headers on the page.
  • Pages with empty link text
    • There is an empty mail to link on the privacy notice which needs link text added to it.
    • There is an empty link on the ‘service updates’ page which needs link text added to it.

 

How we’re addressing accessibility issues

We’re in the process of redesigning and rebuilding some of the components on our website. Many of the issues described on this page will be resolved when these new components are introduced. Remaining issues will be fixed as part of the normal maintenance of the website.

 

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, you can contact us using these contact details:


Or you can submit an enquiry using our enquiry form.

If you're deaf or hearing impaired you can use your textphone to contact us through Relay UK. Or, you can search for Relay UK in the App Store for iPhone or iPad and in Google Play for Android.

 

Report a problem

You can use the same contact details to report an accessibility problem on this website.

If you've contacted us about accessibility and are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it.

The SPSO cannot normally look at:

  • a complaint that has not completed our complaints procedure (so please make sure it has done so before you contact the SPSO)
  • events that happened, or that you became aware of, more than a year ago
  • a matter that has been or is being considered in court

Contact the SPSO, external link which will open in a new window

 

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), external link which will open in a new window.