Accessibility statement for PebblePad

This accessibility statement applies to PebblePad which is comprised of Pebble+ and ATLAS. PebblePad is a centrally supported technology that is a commercial product designed and developed by Pebble Learning Limited.

PebblePad aligns with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. and the revised section 508 standards as published by the US Access board in the federal register on January 18 2017.

The site is run by Pebble Learning Limited on behalf of Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). It is currently used by CCCU and the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS). KMMS is a collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent.

We want as many people as possible to use this site so within the ‘native’ PebblePad interface* you should be able to:

• Change colours, contrast levels and fonts
• Zoom in up to 200% without text spilling off the screen
• Navigate most of the site using just a keyboard
• Navigate most of the site using speech recognition software
• Listen to most of the site using a screen reader (such as the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

*Please note that content made available to students such as templates and workbooks are created by a variety of users, and as such cannot be guaranteed to meet all these requirements.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible PebblePad is

We know some parts of PebblePad are not fully accessible:

• Some buttons in ATLAS and PebblePad are not labelled.
• Large tables require 2 way scrolling.
• The heading structure in some areas of PebblePad and ATLAS may not be hierarchical.
• Some content is not accessible via keyboard e.g. date picker.
• Content uploaded to PebblePad templates and workbooks may not be accessible.

Feedback and contact information

If you need content on PebblePad provided in an alternative format, that is not already available, please contact:

• CCCU – Digital Learning and Learning Design by email TELaccessibility@canterbury.ac.uk
  
  The CCCU Student Disability services are available to offer support with issues related to accessibility.
  
  For any other accessibility issues you may have with PebblePad, please contact the Digital Learning and Learning Design team by e-mail TELaccessibility@canterbury.ac.uk . We will consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.
  
  The CCCU Digital Learning and Learning Design team who support and maintain PebblePad (hosted by Pebble Learning) is based in the Anselm Building, Canterbury Campus, Canterbury Christ Church University.

• KMMS - Digital Education team by e-mail digitaleducation@kmms.ac.uk
  
  The University of Kent’s Disability Team is available to offer support with issues related to accessibility. Information on their service can be found on the Disability Support web page.
  
  For any other accessibility issues you may have with PebblePad , please contact the KMMS Digital Education team by e-mail digitaleducation@kmms.ac.uk . We will consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.
  
  The KMMS Digital Education team who support PebblePad (hosted on Pebble Learning) is based in the Pears Building, University of Kent.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

• CCCU - Technology Enhanced Learning Team by email TELaccessibility@canterbury.ac.uk and we will get back to you within 10 working days.
  
  
• KMMS - the Digital Education team by e-mail digitaleducation@kmms.ac.uk and we will get back to you within 10 working days.

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

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Canterbury Christ Church University is committed to making its web services accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

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

The PebblePad VPAT lists non compliances as of Jan 2025.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:

Non-compliance with accessibility regulations

PebblePad have an accessibility commitment and have provided a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) report for the platform. There is further information on accessibility options available in the platform.

We have highlighted below some known accessibility issues within PebblePad and content within the platform.

Platform issues (identified by VPAT)

Level A

WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content

Some iconography in ATLAS and in Pebble+ Stores are not labelled

WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships

Screen reader users may encounter illogical heading structures in ATLAS and some dialog modals in Pebble+

WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence

Some journeys through uploaded files do not have a logical heading order

WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard

Keyboard only navigation is unavailable for resizing blocks and banners, and for tooltips in ATLAS. Keyboard-only navigation is unavailable in date pickers, however, users can enter the date through alternative means (type/dictation)

2.4.1 – Bypass blocks

Shortcuts are available that allow users to by-pass blocks of content, except on the Pebble+ dashboard and in ATLAS,

Level AA

WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow

Large tables require two-way scrolling

WCAG 1.4.113 Content on hover or focus

Most additional content does not display and hide with pointer hover or keyboard focus, with the exceptions of tooltips in ATLAS

WCAG 4.1.3 Status messages

Status messages are present and do not take away focus, except when navigating pages of documents uploaded to Pebble+, or when saving in Pebble+.

Non-accessible content

Content in PebblePad is uploaded by a range of users. It is not possible to confirm that all content is fully accessible. We are undertaking a programme of staff development to ensure staff make their materials compliant. The following issues have been identified with content uploaded to PebblePad.

Contrast

Some uploaded documents may contain text with low contrast between text and background which will make the documents inaccessible for those with visual impairments.

Images

Some uploaded images may not have a description or alternative text which means they are inaccessible for users with screen readers.

Heading Structures/Styles

Some documents do not contain any marked-up headings which provide structure to documents.

Tables

Some documents contain tables that do not make use of header structure which means they are inaccessible for screen reader users

Untagged PDFs

Some PDF documents are not tagged which makes the document difficult to navigate for screenreaders

Captions in videos

Some uploaded videos may not contain subtitles which means they are inaccessible to audio impaired users. Staff are encouraged to upload all pre-recorded content into either ReCap (Yuja) or KentPlayer (Panopto) to ensure that automatic captions are available.

Disproportionate burden

Content provided on PebblePad for modules which are no longer being used for active teaching, such as those modules taught during academic year 2019/20 or earlier, are considered disproportionate burden, as there is a substantial amount of content which would be accessed by a very small group of users.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

The University continues to work closely with PebblePad to monitor accessibility and make improvements as required.

The goal of PebblePad is 100% WCAG 2.2 AA compliance across the platform by the end of March 2026. There is also an accessibility improvement page for updates per release.

Content publishers are being required to undertake training to show them how to create accessible content. This should address issues with future inaccessible content being created and help them to understand what changes need to be made to existing content to make it more accessible.

Content authors are also encouraged to use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker when creating content using Office tools.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

We asked PebblePad to provide information on how they test their product for accessibility compliance.

The PebblePad VPAT is based on the accessibility audit conducted by PebblePad in January 2025

As a result of this response CCCU has not undertaken any extensive testing of the site ourselves.

This document will be updated as plans for addressing accessibility issues in PebblePad are implemented.

Initially prepared: 7 October 2025

Next review: Semester 1, Academic Year 2026/27