Accessibility Statement

The National Employment Rights Authority is committed to providing information and services which are fully accessible to all of our customers.

Publications

NERA is developing its full suite of information in a  range of accessible formats including large print, Braille and audio. Please contact our information services to order a copy of our publications in your preferred format.

Website Accessibility

NERA’s aim is to make our website  as accessible as possible for everyone. It has been designed in accordance with the WC3 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It conforms to most of the priority 1, 2 and 3 checkpoints subject to some clarifications as outlined below.

Website Design

The website was developed using XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets, which are screen reader friendly and more accessible. It has been designed in a manner that avoids clutter and provides a consistent navigation style. The use of colour, breadcrumbs and links to the main thematic areas on each page allows for easier navigation. 

The website content is separated from the presentational elements, which makes it available to visitors using technologies such as screen readers.

The website has been designed with the customer in mind, with access to the key areas of the site set out in a manner that makes it easier for employers or employees to get the most relevant information for their needs.  There are also additional entry points to these key areas. Users should be easily able to identify which category the information they require falls into.

Font Size

There is an option for each user to increase or decrease the font size being used on the site.

PDF/Adobe Format

Some of the information on this website is available in PDF format to provide for easier reading and printing of documents. However NERA is aware that format is not always accessible. NERA will make all of its documents accessible in both PDF and Word formats. Please let us know if you are having difficulty with the particular format of a document and we will try to forward a more suitable version. Requests should be forwarded to nerawebmaster@employmentrights.ie.

Search

A sophisticated search engine, Autonomy Ultraseek has been included, which has improved the retrieval of documents and also allows for an advanced search function.

Access Keys

A number of browsers allow you to jump to specific links using special keys. On Windows the combination is to press ALT and an access key, on Macintosh it is Control and an access key. The codes are based on international standards. The set of keys used on all pages on this site are:

• 1 – Skip to the main content
• s – Small font size
• m – medium font size
• l – Large font size

Links

All links have title attributes. External links all open in a new window.

Images

All images have ALT descriptions unless they are decorative in which case they have null values.

Tables

The use of tables has been kept to a minimum on the site as these can be difficult to read with certain accessibility software.

Browser Testing

The website is coded to Transitional XHTML standards. All pages have been verified using the W3 Organisations validator. In addition, sample pages are checked using the following browsers:

PC

• Internet Explorer 5.5 up to 7.0
• Firefox 1.0.1 and up
• Netscape 0.9.6 and up
• Opera 7.45 and up
• Lynx 2.8.5 and up 

Mac

• Safari 1.0.3 and higher
• Firefox 1.0 and higher

All older browsers can access the website although the content maybe without graphical layout due to lack of CSS compatibility within the browser.

Maintaining accessibility

NERA is committed to maintaining and monitoring the accessibility of this website.  As part of this process we welcome any comment, suggestions, requests or details of problems encountered from users.  Comments should be sent to nerawebmaster@employmentrights.ie .