Accessibility Statement

This statement explains how accessible MIE Connect is, what we have done to make it easier to use, the parts that are not yet fully accessible, and how to ask for help or information in another format. It covers our website, the Get started questions, the student portal and the partner portal.

MIE Connect is run by A H & Z Associates Limited. We want as many people as possible to be able to use our services, whatever their ability or the device they use.

Our target

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 at level AA. These are the international standard for making websites accessible to people with disabilities. You can read the guidelines on the W3C website.

Our website is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA. This means most of it meets the standard, but some parts do not yet. They are listed below under "Known limitations".

What we have done

• Skip link: every page of our website and portals starts with a "Skip to main content" link, so that keyboard and screen reader users can jump past the menu.
• Visible focus: every link, button and form field shows a clear 3 pixel red outline when you reach it with the keyboard.
• Colour contrast: our text colours meet AA contrast levels against their backgrounds. Main text has a contrast ratio of 16.9:1, secondary text 6.6:1, links 12.3:1, and status messages between 5.8:1 and 7.9:1. White text on our subject colours is at least 5.0:1.
• Keyboard use: you can use the website, the Get started questions and the portals with a keyboard alone. Menus and pop up windows close with the Escape key, and you can move between the tabs of our cookie banner with the arrow keys.
• Reduced motion: if you have asked your device to reduce motion, our animations stop. The moving course board on the home page starts paused, and the globe on our Destinations page does not turn on its own. The course board also has a pause button.
• Labelled forms: every form field has a label. In the Get started questions, optional fields are marked as optional, and if something needs fixing we say what is wrong in words, next to the field, and tell your screen reader that the field needs attention. In the portals, we explain what needs fixing in a message at the top of the page.
• Not by colour alone: we never show a status only by colour. Status labels have a shape and a word, and rankings have an arrow and a number of places.
• No carousels: rows of cards scroll sideways in the normal way, with swipe, trackpad, mouse or arrow keys. Nothing moves on its own and there are no slider controls to learn.
• Clear structure: pages use headings in order, and long pages have a contents list.
• Maps with text: every area with courses on our UK and world maps is a link with a text label that gives its name and number of courses.
• Small screens: pages work on phone screens without scrolling sideways.
• Signing in: MIE Auth, our sign in service, lets you sign in with a passkey, a code or link sent by email, or your Google account, so you do not have to remember a password.

Known limitations

• The globe: the turning globe on our Destinations page cannot be used with a keyboard or a screen reader. The list of every destination beside it, and the world map below it, give the same countries, numbers and links.
• Map shading: our maps use darker shades to show where there are more courses. The same numbers are in each area's text label and in the lists on the same page.
• The security check: the Get started questions and partner registration use Cloudflare's Turnstile check to stop automated abuse. It usually runs without you doing anything, but it may sometimes ask you to tick a box. If it stops you, email us and we will help you another way.
• The phone number field: the country list in the phone number field may be harder to use with some screen readers. You can type the country code yourself instead.
• Signing out after a time: for security, students are signed out after 12 hours and staff after 2 hours. Anything you have not saved may be lost. If you need more time, tell us and we can help, for example by taking your details by email or phone.
• Personal PDFs: the shortlist and checklist PDFs you can download may not yet work well with screen readers. The same information is in the student portal.
• Older articles and pages: some older articles and pages may have images without text descriptions, or headings out of order. We fix these when we find them.
• Staff and partner screens: some screens used by our staff and recruitment partners have not yet been fully checked.

Content we do not control

• University content: course descriptions, images, brochures and PDF documents come from universities and may not be fully accessible. Your counsellor can get the information for you in another way.
• Other websites: when you sign in, you use MIE Auth, which is a separate service, and if you choose Google sign in, Google's pages. University websites, WhatsApp and other websites we link to have their own accessibility standards.

Asking for information in another format

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as large print, an easy read version, a plain text or Word document, or an audio recording, email info@mieconnect.com with "Accessibility" in the subject line. Tell us what you need, which page or document it is about, and how you would like us to reply. We will reply within 5 working days, and tell you when we can provide it.

Reasonable adjustments

Under the Equality Act 2010, we must make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people are not at a disadvantage when they use our services. For example, a counsellor can talk to you by phone or video call, give you more time, explain things in writing, or fill in a form with you. Tell your counsellor or email info@mieconnect.com about anything that would help.

If you tell us about a disability so that a university can make adjustments for you, we will only share it with your explicit consent, as our Privacy Policy explains.

Reporting a problem

We are always looking to improve. If you find a problem that is not listed here, or think we are not meeting the standard, email info@mieconnect.com with "Accessibility" in the subject line. Please tell us the web address of the page, what you were trying to do, and the device, browser and any assistive technology you were using.

If you are not happy with our response

If you are not happy with how we respond, you can use our Complaints procedure. If you think we have discriminated against you, the Equality Advisory and Support Service can give you free advice in England, Scotland and Wales. Its helpline is 0808 800 0082. In Northern Ireland, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

How we tested this website

We test our pages with automated checks at phone, tablet and desktop widths (375, 768 and 1280 pixels) with reduced motion turned on. The checks look for sideways scrolling, a visible focus outline on every link and control you reach with the Tab key, and text contrast of at least 4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text. We also check new screens with a keyboard alone. Our website has not yet been audited by an independent accessibility specialist.

Preparation of this statement

This statement was prepared on 24 October 2026. It is based on our own testing. We will review it at least once a year, and whenever we make a significant change to the website.