Accessibility Statement
This statement applies to the official website of the Government of Malta and was last updated in July 2020.
Compliance status
The Department of Information (DOI) is committed to making online services on the gov.mt portal accessible to all. We have a national and global user base and are dedicated to continuously improving accessibility of our services, with a focus on the anti-discrimination requirements of the Equal Opportunities Act (Persons with Disability) of 2000 (EOA).
Compliance process
The Gov.mt website is designed to work with Internet Explorer 11 (using the latest version of Silverlight) and the most recent two versions of Firefox and Chrome browsers.
As part of this effort, DOI adheres to accessibility standard EN310549 and WCAG2.0 guidelines. Our online resources and products are evaluated both manually and programmatically in compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines. The GOV website in particular is designed to work well and be accessible when accessed with suitably-updated hardware and software products.
Further recognizing that adherence to standards and guidelines cannot on its own ensure that a product is accessible, DOI also carries out usability evaluations in collaboration with persons with disability, so as to gather necessary feedback. We also strive to implement accessibility for information channels that are provided via third party platforms wherever possible, such as our Twitter or Facebook pages.
Accessibility measures
The Gov.mt website does not make use of font, magnification, and colour modification widgets. This is because we believe that this functionality is already integrated in most web browsers or is available via different add-ons and plugins which different users are free to customise to their needs. As a result, these arbitrary user customisations are available for most websites. In order to allow for this level of customisation, we seek to maximise compatibility with these user modifications.
As part of, and in addition, to the above-mentioned guidelines, the Gov.mt website implements the following accessibility features:
Maintain a consistent HTML Heading hierarchy and information layout across different web pages
Information content is organised into HTML lists wherever applicable
Deployment of a link focus highlighting script in order to provide visual cues for exclusive keyboard users
RSS facility about new website content on pages of interest
Addition of image title, alt tag and caption wherever this information is relevant and useful
Maximise colour contrast for text where applicable
Actual link text is descriptive enough to inform user where the link points to
Inaccessible content
DOI is not aware of specific inaccessible content or accessibility issues on the Gov.mt portal. If you identify such content, kindly let us know via the contact details (telephone/email) provided below. Should such an instance arise, DOI’s goal is to create an Accessibility Remediation Roadmap (ARR). The ARR describes the steps needed to help identify an accessibility issue and bring the product into compliance with the EOA, including the anticipated schedule for completion of this goal.
Feedback and contact details
Inevitably, we won’t always get it right. The more services and resources we place online, the more likely it for technical glitches to occur, but we remain committed to addressing any access issues promptly. This is where we need your help. If you experience any difficulties in accessing the Gov.mt website, or have trouble using any aspect of the website, please let us know.
You may contact the Department of Information by email on [email protected], ot telephone on 22001700.
Enforcement procedure
The Malta Communications Authority (MCA) is the entity responsible for implementing Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies. In case your ICT accessibility-related query is not addressed within the time frames established within the ARR, or you wish to lodge a formal complaint, you can do so by contacting the MCA on 21336840, or by filling the online complaint form on https://mca.org.mt/consumer/forms/complaints.