Accessibility Statement

SOLAS is committed to making our website as accessible as possible in accordance with the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020. 

This accessibility statement applies to www.solas.ie. 

Compliance Status  

This website is partially compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 and 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.   

 We are committed to improving the accessibility of our website to address the accessibility needs of users. We are engaging in updates based on accessibility assessments and have prioritized fixes that fail to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 and 2.2 level AA standard.   

If you wish to contact SOLAS regarding any accessibility issue, please see contact information below. 

Exempted Content  

Content (e.g. videos and PDF documents) published before 23 September 2018 is exempted under the EU Web Accessibility Directive from these guidelines. 

Non-Accessible Content  

Despite our commitment to improving accessibility, there are areas where our site does not fully comply with the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 for the following reasons:  

  • The website contains PDF, Word and Excel documents from multiple sources. We cannot guarantee that these were made with accessibility best practice. For example, some older PDF files contain broken links and some PDF form fields do not contain name, role, state and value information. Some documents also miss the labels that define the document structure (e.g. headings and paragraphs).  

  • Relevant table elements, properties and associations are sometimes not utilized for data tables.  

  • Some videos and images are missing alternative text.  

  • Some hyperlinks use language that is not specific such as 'click here'.  

  • Some page headings are not formatted to correctly convey proper structure to users of assistive technology.  

  • The colour contrast in certain parts of the website is not compliant.  

  • Some pages present zooming and scaling issues depending on which device is used (laptop, mobile phone or tablet).  

  • There are occasional syntax and logic bugs in the website coding (ARIA values).  

  • The cookie banner and pop-up modal window that allows you to accept or reject cookies on our website are not fully accessible.  

We are continuing to assess our site so the limitations listed above may not be comprehensive and other instances may exist of non-accessible content and limitations.

Preparation of this Accessibility Statement   

This statement was prepared in December 2019 and has since been updated various times, with the latest update in June 2026 following an evaluation. The method used to prepare this statement was an internal review and self-assessment using a range of tools:  

  • WAVE Evaluation Tool  

  • Color Contrast Checker  

  • SEO Web Image Alt text Scraper and Extractor  

  • Manual testing and keyboard navigation  

  • NVDA screen reader  

  • Microsoft screen reader  

  • Microsoft Edge browser  

This statement was last reviewed in June 2026.  

Feedback and Contact Information  

SOLAS is constantly working to improve the accessibility of this website. If you encounter difficulty in accessing any of the content on the SOLAS website, we will do our best to assist and address that issue.  We value all feedback relating to improving the accessibility of our site. All feedback will be reviewed and you should receive a response via email within 7 working days. 

If you wish to raise a concern or complaint relating to accessibility compliance, you can contact the SOLAS Access Officer via email at accessofficer@solas.ie or phone 01 533 2500 and ask to speak to them. 

Enforcement Procedure  

You can make a complaint about the accessibility of this website under the Disability Act 2005 (No. 14 of 2005). Please see our Complaints Process. Other resources:

Office of the Ombudsman: If you are not satisfied with the response from SOLAS to a concern or complaint relating to accessibility compliance, you can raise a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman under the Disability Act.

Workplace Relations Commission: You can contact the Workspace Relations Commission for advice on making a complaint under the Equal Status Act.