Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is committed to making its websites and mobile applications as accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to Historic Environments Scotland’s Stor website, available at https://stor.scot/
Feedback and contact information
If you have feedback about the website or if you need information found within the website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
- Email: shop@hes.scot
- Telephone: +44 (0)131 668 8893
We will consider your request and get back to you in 10 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:
- Email: shop@hes.scot
- Telephone: +44 (0)131 668 8893
Enforcement Procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) through their website at https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
Compliance Status
The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website site is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible Content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Language
On occasion the site does contain the use of Scots Gaelic - Stòr itself is a Gaelic word. However, where it is used it is not marked with the language code Gd, which might make the pronunciation of some words difficult for bilingual screen reader users. This is a failure of SC 3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA). We will investigate how to improve the coding of language throughout the site by 4 November 2025.
Search filters
Users of assistive technology may find the search filter experience to be a frustrating experience. Each filter field is selectable, but as a link rather than by checkbox as is visually indicated. Furthermore, each link will refresh the page and require a keyboard only user repeat the tabbing process to continue further refinement. The issues are marked against both SC 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and SC 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A). The filter facility is a core part of the Shopify platform and is out of direct control of developers. We will investigate how improvements can be made and communicate our findings within updates to this statement by March 2026.
Colours
The colour contrast across the site has been improved upon, but there are still some issues around hyperlink colour and identification, as well as occasional poor contrast of interactive items on various backgrounds. These are marked against SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)(Level AA) and 1.4.11 Non-text contrast (Level AA). This will be reviewed further by 4 November 2025.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Pre-recorded video (created before 23 September 2020)
Our videos created before 23 September 2020 might not have complete or accurate closed captions, alternative text, audio descriptions or transcripts that describe the events and content of the video in text format. We don’t plan to add these alternatives because pre-recorded video from before 23 September 2020 are exempt under Regulation 4(2)(b) of the accessibility regulations.
Disproportionate burden
We are not claiming that any of our accessibility issues are disproportionate to fix.
How the website was tested
A sample of 10 pages were chosen, knowing that they would have differing components, content types and templates. Popular user journeys were also tested for usability.
The webpages and journeys were manually tested with screen readers and popular combinations of hardware and software:
- Firefox and Chrome with NVDA (desktop and laptop)
- Safari with VoiceOver (MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone)
- Chrome with TalkBack (Android)
Automated tests were conducted using Deque’s AXE extension on Chrome and WAVE on Edge. A series of bookmarklets were used to test alt text and text resizing.
Next steps and roadmap
As a result of the audit, we will review and prioritise remediation work for our website’s issues. Development work will be commissioned, and high priority issues will be resolved before 12 Feb 2026. Lower priority issues will be addressed before the site’s next audit which will be conducted by an organisation external to Historic Environment Scotland.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 21 July 2025. It will be reviewed on 12 February 2026.
This website was last tested on 17 July 2025. The tests were carried by Historic Environment Scotland’s Digital Accessibility Lead.