Accessibility
This page was last updated on 15th March 2023This accessibility statement applies to our Vehicle Certification Agency website, which is owned by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).
This website is run by VCA. 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
- 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.
Make your device easier to use
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:
- you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
- you cannot change the colour of text
- some of our PDF documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software (explained below)
- some pages have duplicate titles
- for some services, we link to other websites or forms, separate to the main Vehicle Certification Agency domain, some of these may not be fully accessible
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: webmaster@vca.gov.uk; or
Call: 0300 330 5797 or
Write to us at:
Communications Team
No 1 The Eastgate Office Centre
Eastgate Road
Bristol
BS5 6XX
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 days.
If you can’t view the maps on our location pages, 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 us at: webmaster@vca.gov.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
We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.
Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
VCA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance Statement
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
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The two PDF forms listed below are not fully accessible due to missing the language attribute. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.1 (language of a page) and is due to a limitation with our current PDF form creation software.
VCA-Europe-Customer-Account-Application-Form.pdf
VCA-Europe-Type-Approval-and-COP-Application-Form.pdf
The following PDF documents is not fully accessible due to some headings and tables contained in the document.
Annual Report and Accounts 2020-2021
Annual Report and Accounts 2020-2021 (Large 20pt Text Version)
Annual Report and Accounts 2018-2019
Annual Report and Accounts 2017-2018
Annual Report and Accounts 2016-2017
HDV CO2 Regulations Guidance (DRAFT)
Schedule 2 – LGBF (Fuel Tankers)
We plan to replace these PDF forms with fully accessible HTML based forms by December 2022. When we publish new forms, they will be created in HTML. When we publish new PDF or word documents, we will make sure they meet all accessibility standards.
Screen reader limitations
When using the JAWS screen reader software, the following issues are present:
JAWS instructs users to use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate through the options on the “What kind of vehicle” menu in the website header. Users instead need to use the keyboard tab key to navigate through the options and the enter key to select an option.
When completing the “Is this page useful” survey at the bottom of all pages, JAWS users will find they are scrolled to the top of the page instead of remaining in place to view, or be read out, the submission successful message.
We plan to rework the way in which the menu and survey features work, to be fully compatible with JAWS screen reader by December 2021.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are working to convert all of our forms into fully accessible HTML forms before December 2021. We are also working to ensure all features on the website are compatible with the most common screen reader tools – JAWS, NVDA and Voice Over.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 22 July 2021. It was last reviewed on 31 August 2021.
This website was last tested on 3rd August 2021. The test was carried out by our developer Blue Frontier using Sort Site and NVDA and JAWS Screen readers. The website continues to be tested by internal testers.
We tested all pages, using the accessibility guidance recommended by the Government Digital Services.