In September 2022 the RIS was upgraded to a more recent version of the software platform.
The key changes are summarised in this document. The guides to various part of the system have been updated and are also available in the RIS Help.
If you have any questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to contact REO Research Systems by email: reors@essex.ac.uk.
This accessibility statement applies to The University of Essex instance of Symplectic Elements know as the Research Information System (RIS)
This website is run for The University of Essex. It is designed to be usable by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:
zoom in up to 300% without problems
navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
use 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.
Some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
some user-generated files and previews of said files may be inaccessible
this website has not been optimised for mobile devices, so may not behave in an accessible manner if viewed on such devices
some parts of this website that are restricted to administrative users may not be fully accessible
To minimise the risk of encountering non-accessible pages in Elements you should:
use the desktop site wherever possible (Elements has not yet been optimised for mobile use)
use the latest version of a modern browser, such as Chrome or Firefox
let us know when you encounter non-accessible content so that we can check that the issue is in our backlog to address - we have prioritised making the pages that are most often used by end users accessible, thus parts of this website that are restricted to administrative users are less likely to be accessible than end-user facing pages.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, please email: support@symplectic.co.uk. We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as we can.
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 email: support@symplectic.co.uk.
If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
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’).
The University of Essex is committed to making its websites 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 non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Issues that users could encounter whilst using Elements include:
Elements presently has no ‘skip navigation links’ to get users directly to each page’s content. Thus, when using a keyboard to navigate, there are interactive page elements on every page that must be tabbed through sequentially before content that's unique to the page can be reached. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks).
Where a user interaction causes a dynamic change to a form, tab flow does not always take account of the new form component, making it difficult for a user to complete the form using a keyboard alone. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.3 (Focus Order),
The datepickers we make use of in Elements, whilst navigable using a keyboard, use non-standard controls, which may make it difficult for users to select dates. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
As known issues, these will be addressed as part of the substantial revision of this website, currently underway. We prioritise fixing accessibility issues on the pages that are most frequently visited by end users.
User generated content: Some of the content on this website is generated and uploaded by individual users and as a result may not be fully accessible; reviewing and ensuring each item of content is fully accessible would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations.
Older pages: Some older pages on this website have multiple accessibility issues which, due to the inclusion of older technologies that make it difficult or impossible to support recent accessibility standards, could only be addressed through a full rewrite. Whilst each of these pages will ultimately be made accessible through the currently ongoing substantial revision, ensuring that they were accessible by the time the accessibility regulations became applicable would have been a disproportionate burden.
User generated content: Some of the content on this website is third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by us, nor under our control and is therefore exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Access-controlled parts: This website is not available to the general public and is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations until such time it undergoes a substantial revision. Such a revision is currently underway with the first release of the revised website due in October 2020; thereafter, remaining content not meeting accessibility standards will be addressed incrementally on an ongoing basis.
We are continuously improving accessibility as part of a substantial revision to this website, beginning in October 2020, and delivering incremental improvements thereafter on an ongoing basis. Significant accessibility improvements will be documented in each new version’s release notes. For further details, please email: support@symplectic.co.uk.
This statement was prepared on 21/09/2020. It was last reviewed on 05/03/2021.
As part of a substantial revision to this website, pages are being tested for accessibility as they receive attention. This statement is based on testing performed up to 4 June 2020. The test was carried out by Symplectic internal teams.