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King's College London

Accessibility Statement for Helix

Helix is the brand name King’s College London uses for our Service Desk system based on the BMC Software cloud platform Helix IT Service Management.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use Helix to find, read and understand the content.

Helix comprises a number of best practice tools that support all aspects of service management - for IT and non-IT teams.

Helix also comes with a modern end-user portal called Digital Workplace (DWP) allowing end-users with different needs to engage seamlessly with IT and non-IT support teams as well as requesting and accessing knowledge articles/documents, resources and services quickly and efficiently.

Using Helix

Helix is run by King’s College London and we want as many people as possible to be able to use it whatever their needs.

For example, that means you should be able to:

  • Zoom in without the text spilling off the screen;
  • Set the font size and preference within your browser;
  • Navigate most of the screens using just a keyboard;
  • Skip to main content using keyboard navigation;
  • Use screen readers; and
  • Use a range of devices to access Helix e.g. mobile phone, tablet, laptop.

Technical information about Helix accessibility

King’s College London is committed to making Helix work in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. We work to achieve and maintain WCAG 2.1 AA standards, but it is not always possible for all our content to be accessible.

Our partner BMC has provided the associated supplementary document that provides the latest details on the accessibility features of Helix “BMC Accessibility Conformance Report” against accessibility standards WCAG 2.1 AA.

What to do if you can’t access parts of Helix?

If you need information on Helix in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille email diversity@kcl.ac.uk.

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 7 days.

Reporting accessibility problems with Helix

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our systems – Helix included. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements email diversity@kcl.ac.uk.

Escalation procedure

If you need to escalate your issue further, contact the Director of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion via diversity@kcl.ac.uk. You can expect an acknowledgement of your issue within 7 days and a full reply within 14 days. If your complaint raises complex issues that cannot be answered within 14 days we will keep you informed of progress until we can fully respond.

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

How we tested this system

Helix has been sample tested manually by the IT Services team in King’s Service Centre against the compliance statements in the BMC document “BMC Accessibility Conformance Report”.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

King’s College London has convened a college-wide action group to address the accessibility of its digital information and actions are currently being undertaken around:

  • Assessing, prioritising and improving the accessibility of the 100+ digital platforms in use at King’s and highest priority is being given to those holding student teaching materials;
  • Improving the accessibility of online teaching materials;
  • ensuring all future purchases or development of digital platforms are accessible; and
  • ensuring that all future teaching materials being developed and uploaded are accessible.

Platform-specific action plans to ensure accessibility will be developed by specialist action groups within King’s. Details of these will be added when they are available.

This statement was prepared on 28th March 2023. It will be updated as necessary over the lifetime that the Helix system is in operation.

As an international product, BMC Software is committed to Helix meeting regulatory and best practice standards guidelines now and in the future and in its roadmap is a move towards meeting the latest guidelines on accessibility in WCAG 2.2.

 

This statement was prepared on 20th June 2023. It was last updated on 30 June 2023.