This accessibility statement was originally published on 7th September 2023 and applies solely to the Met Éireann website (www.met.ie).
Statement of Commitment
Met Éireann is committed to making met.ie accessible in accordance with European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020
The met.ie website has previously achieved the international Web Accessibility standard WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and Met Éireann is committed to achieving Level AA under Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
Compliance Status
The met.ie website is partially compliant with the WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines.
Non-accessible content
Tables
Some tables on met.ie do not have correctly defined headers. This makes it harder for people using screen readers or voice recognition software to read the content on the site (WCAG 1.3.1).
Images
Not all images on met.ie have alternative text descriptions. If images do not have the correct descriptions then a user employing assistive technologies will not learn the information conveyed in the image (WCAG 1.1.1).
Uploaded Documents
Many documents are published in PDF format – which are less accessible than HTML pages for people using assistive technologies. Some of the issues with PDF format documents include:
- the fact that they are not bookmarked (WCAG 2.4.5)
- the fact that some or all of the content is not tagged, notably tables (WCAG 1.3.1)
- the fact that images do not have alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1)
- the fact that documents may not have a specified language or sections of text whose language is inconsistent with the main document (WCAG 3.1.1 / WCAG 3.1.2)
This is not an exhaustive list of non-accessible content.
Third Party
Met Éireann does not have responsibility for the accessibility of websites hosted by third parties with links from met.ie.
Exempted content
Documents
PDF documents that were published before 23rd September 2018 are exempt from these guidelines except where it is related to a service that a member of the public has to use.
Video/Audio
Videos or audio published before 23rd September 2020 are exempt from these guidelines.
Maps
The above guidelines do not apply in respect of the Weather Maps (for example, the rainfall radar, weather forecast maps, probability maps and surface pressure maps) on this website, as described in Application 3 (3) (d) of European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulation 2020: Online maps and mapping services, as long as essential information is provided in an accessible digital manner for maps intended for navigational use. The accessible alternatives we recommend can be read by assistive technologies: the text National Forecast with additional optional text Regional Forecast, and/or search for an hourly weather forecast for a specific place using the location database, available via the website header (Accessible Forecast).
How we test the met.ie site
The accessibility of met.ie is tested by self-assessment using NVDA software and a regular automated assessment carried out by a third party (Centre for Excellence in Universal Design). The results from this scan are used to continuously improve the accessibility of the website.
We have previously carried out end user testing on the website. Our intention is to increase focus on end user input to the design of the website in future and it will be mandatory that any such testing will include users employing assistive technologies.
Further details on how to get the full benefit from the accessible content on met.ie can be found on Website Access Guidance.
How are we going to improve the accessibility on met.ie
We are going to work with met.ie content providers to ensure that alternative text is available for images, where possible and subject to the exemptions listed previously, to be published on met.ie. The content will not be published unless it meets accessibility requirements.
We will continue to work with met.ie content providers to ensure they are publishing HTML pages instead of documents in less accessible formats like PDF. Where a PDF (or similar document format) is provided it will only be published if it meets accessibility requirements.
We will continue to insist that met.ie content providers use plain English as far as possible and that all content has a clearly defined language to facilitate the use of assistive technologies.
Met Éireann will ensure that any future re-design of the website will not only maintain but enhance accessibility standards.
We have provided additional support for users of met.ie on Website Access Guidance.
Feedback and Contact Information
If you have any complaints about the accessibility of content then you can contact the Disability Access Officer for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Escalation of a complaint
If you are not happy with the response from Met Éireann then you can make a complaint to the Ombudsman under the Disability Act.