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An image of a vintage computer from our collection.
An image of a vintage computer from our collection.
This accessibility statement explains what we are doing to address the accessibility of our websites and how to contact us about web accessibility.
This statement applies to the following National Museums Scotland websites for which the Board of Trustees of National Museums Scotland is responsible.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites. We’ve designed them so that you can:
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.
If you find that the text is too small for you to read, you can change it to a size you’re more comfortable with:
If you use a wheel-mouse, you may be able to change the text size by holding down the Control or Command key and turning the wheel. In some browsers you can change the text size using Control or Command and the + and - keys. In certain browsers, these functions may ‘zoom’ the entire site rather than just the text.
For information on PDF files and accessibility visit access.adobe.com.
Below you will find links to various browsers to help you tailor your current browser to your needs, access alternative browsers or download add-ons:
We are working to improve the accessibility of our websites, but we know that some areas are not yet fully accessible. In particular, we know that you may encounter:
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, or you would like to ask anything or tell us anything about the accessibility of our websites:
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in no more than 5 working days in line with our standards of service.
If you need any assistance or information to help you plan a visit to one of our museums, find out more via the following links:
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, please contact the Digital Media Team: webmaster@nms.ac.uk
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, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
National Museums Scotland is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
In this section, you will find more detailed information about the accessibility of our websites and their conformity to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 level AA, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
In May 2021 we carried out an accessibility audit of our websites which identified some accessibility issues. We have begun an ongoing programme of work which to date has focused on improvements to:
The issues detailed above are not an exhaustive list. Instead, they are an attempt to summarise the main areas of concern.
There are no plans to update all historic content but where possible, and on request, we may be able to provide information in alternative formats.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:
Some of our exhibition-specific interactive tools and interactive games are difficult to navigate using a keyboard.
We believe that the work required to make these tools and games fully accessible would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.
When choosing new suppliers and agencies we will ensure all new tools will be compliant.
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 don't require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services.
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
National Museums Scotland operates websites that were developed at different times using different technologies. We are committed to improving the accessibility of our websites so that they are accessible to all. We are working hard to achieve that, but it will take some time due to the scale and complexity of the task.
We use automated tools to scan our existing websites once a year. New website developments are manually tested by specialist agencies.
This statement was originally published on 3 August 2021, and updated on 21 September 2021.