Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Durham Astronomy website at astro.dur.ac.uk, run by the astronomy groups of Durham University — the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy (CEA) and the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC). It is separate from the accessibility statement for the main Durham University website.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. On this site you should be able to:

  • navigate the whole site using a keyboard, including a skip-to-content link on every page;
  • use a screen reader: pages use labelled landmarks, descriptive link text and correctly ordered headings;
  • zoom to at least 300% without content overlapping or being cut off;
  • switch between light and dark colour themes, both of which meet contrast requirements;
  • browse with reduced motion: animations are disabled when your system asks for reduced motion.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Compliance status

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

  • A decorative scroll hint on the homepage animates continuously and has no pause control (WCAG 2.2.2, pause stop hide). It is disabled automatically for visitors whose system requests reduced motion. We plan to review it.
  • Some linked documents (PDF and Word files such as visitor information packs and campus maps) are not fully accessible (WCAG 4.1.2 and others). Where a document is essential, contact us and we will provide the information in an accessible format.

Content not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

  • Archived research material (data release pages, project archives and documents published before 23 September 2018) is exempt where it is not essential to an active service. It is kept available for scientific reference in its original form.
  • Embedded third-party content (YouTube videos and Google Calendar schedules) is not under our control; we link a direct alternative wherever one exists.

Feedback and contact information

If you find a problem not listed on this page, or need information from this website in a different format (such as an accessible PDF, large print or plain text), contact Oper.Starlink@durham.ac.uk. We will consider the request and reply within 30 days.

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 are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 3 July 2026. The website was self-assessed using automated testing (axe-core, WCAG 2.1 A and AA rules) on a representative sample of pages, including the group sub-sites and generated content, supported by manual checks of keyboard navigation, colour themes and reduced-motion behaviour. The statement will be reviewed when the site changes significantly.