Accessibility Statement

Non-Accessible Content 

• Images: Some images, widgets, buttons, charts or infographics have missing or incomplete alternative descriptions which means people using screen-readers will not be able to access that information (WCAG guideline 1.1.1).
• Colour Contrast: Some text, buttons and links have low colour contrast which may be difficult to read and distinguish (WCAG guidelines 1.4.1; 1.4.3 and 1.4.11).
• Resizing: The site cannot be zoomed in on Android mobile devices which may present difficulties for those with low vision (WCAG guideline 1.4.4). 
• Headings: A limited number of pages do not have the correct page titles to assist in navigation (WCAG guideline 2.4.2). 
• Links: Some links are not distinguishable and may be difficult to understand by those using screen-readers (WCAG guidelines 2.4.4 and 4.1.2).
• Media: Some of the known issues with our videos are;  

1.  Videos do not have audio description tracks or alternatives where necessary to ensure those with low vision have full access to the video content. (WCAG guidelines 1.2.1; 1.2.3 and 1.2.5).   
2. Our videos will continue to play if the dialog is dismissed while the video is playing (WCAG guideline 2.1.1)
3. Our videos do not have appropriate visible focus indictors on active controls which may trap keyboard users inside them when open (WCAG guideline 2.4.3)  

• PDFs: Many PDF documents on our site are not fully accessible which means people using screen-readers and assistive technology may have difficulty navigating and accessing the content of the document. Some of the known issues with our PDFs include:

1. images and figures do not have alternative text (WCAG guideline 1.1.1)
2. tables, headings and lists are not defined or tagged appropriately (WCAG guideline 1.3.1)
3. titles are not identified (WCAG guideline 2.4.2)
4. language of documents has not been set (WCAG guideline 3.1.2)
5. form fields have not been identified (WCAG guideline 4.1.2) 

We are aware of various accessibility issues on specific site pages such as navigation, focus order, colour contrast, resizing, alternative text and error identification. They are;  

• Active Energy Manager 
• Our Generation Portfolio 
• Safety Extranet 
• Telecoms Towers 
• Media Centre Blog

Exempt Content  

• Older PDFs or documents published before 23 September 2018.
• Any pre-recorded videos or audio material published before 23 September 2020. 
• Live video content which is recorded and stored. 
• Specialist content such as maps. 
• Third party content we use but do not have control over such as YouTube and Google Maps.

Preparation of this Accessibility Statement 

This statement was prepared on 10 September 2024 and last reviewed on 5 November 2024.  

We engaged with our external accessibility partner InterAccess who have carried out a full independent accessibility audit. This assessment audit was conducted in April 2024 and was performed using a range of tools which included;  

• JAWS 2023 / NVDA screen reading software 
• Talkback (Android)
• VoiceOver (iOS)
• Chrome Browser (Windows and Android)
• Edge Browser (Windows)
• Safari (iOS)
• Manual accessibility testing and keyboard only testing 
• Colour contrast analysers
• DOM inspection tests 

In addition to the independent accessibility audit, we also reviewed the results from regular automated testing using axe-core rules and continue to engage with people with disabilities in testing our site.  All audits are reviewed for conformance with the relevant Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard. 

ESB intends this site to be used by as many users as possible, including assistive technology users and we are working towards an accessible design by;  

• reviewing and implementing the findings of the independent accessibility audit.
• putting a roadmap in place to work towards compliance and achieve a better standard of accessibility.  This includes guidance on the creation of accessible PDF and Word documents.
• revise this Accessibility Statement once improvements have been made.  

Feedback and Contact Information  

Alternative Formats 

If you need specific content in an alternative or accessible format, please include the following details in your request to the Access Officer: 

• Your required format.
• The content you wish to receive (please include the URL of the content)
• Your name and email address. 
• We will do our best to accommodate your request.  
  

Enforcement Procedure  

If you are not happy with the result of your complaint to ESB’s Access Officer, you may request to have the matter referred to a higher level within the organisation for review.  

If you are still not satisfied you can refer to the Office of the Ombudsman for consideration under the Disability Act. Here is the contact information  and guidance on making a complaint from the Office of the Ombudsman. 

You may also refer your complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission for consideration under the Equal Status Act. Here is the contact information and advice on making a complaint under the Equal Status Act.  

November 2024