Accessibility Statement
This statement applies to the bim.ie website, operated by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). It is prepared in accordance with Directive (EU) 2016/2102 on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, as transposed into Irish law by the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 (SI 358/2020).
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA , due to the non-compliances listed in the section below. "Partially compliant" means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard. The specific gaps and our remediation plan are set out clearly below.
This assessment was informed by self-evaluation and by the most recent third-party audit conducted by [independent CREST-accredited auditor] in [Month YYYY]. An up-to-date record of all audits and remediation actions is available in our public accessibility audit log.
What this statement covers
This statement covers the website available at www.bim.ie and all pages and content published directly by Bord Iascaigh Mhara on that domain, including but not limited to:
- The main bim.ie website and its sub-pages (funding, training, about, news)
- The Funding Finder interactive tool
- Publications and documents hosted on the bim.ie domain
- Forms and services provided directly through bim.ie
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is not fully accessible. We describe each issue, identify the relevant WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion, and give a planned remediation date where known.
- Some legacy PDF documents published before [year] are not fully accessible — they may lack tagged structure, alternative text, or reading-order information. We are remediating or replacing these by [date]. SC 1.4.5
- A small number of historical news articles are missing descriptive alternative text for images. We are remediating these in priority order from the most-viewed pages downwards. SC 1.1.1
- The site search facets may be difficult to operate with some screen-reader configurations on iOS 16 and earlier devices. We are actively testing fixes and expect to resolve this in an upcoming release. SC 4.1.2
We will update this list as issues are resolved and as new audits are completed.
Disproportionate burden
We make no disproportionate-burden claims at present. All identified accessibility issues are being remediated in the ordinary course of site maintenance and development. If our position changes, we will update this statement with full reasoning as required by SI 358/2020.
Content outside the scope of this statement
BIM's website links to third-party platforms that are outside the scope of this accessibility statement. Users should refer to those providers' own accessibility statements:
- SmartSimple — the online application portal used for certain grant applications. Refer to SmartSimple's own accessibility statement on their website.
- Esri ArcGIS Online — used for interactive marine charts and spatial data. Refer to Esri's accessibility documentation.
- Microsoft Azure Blob Storage — used to host certain large files. Refer to Microsoft's accessibility information.
Archived or historical content that has not been updated since September 2019 is exempt under the SI 358/2020 exemption for pre-existing content, where remediation would impose a disproportionate burden. We will however endeavour to provide accessible versions on request.
How we assessed this website
This statement was prepared following a multi-layered assessment combining automated, manual, and third-party methods:
- Automated tools on every commit: axe-core runs in CI on every code change; Lighthouse mobile audits are gated above 95/100; pa11y scans are run against the staging environment before every release.
- Manual screen-reader testing: Key user journeys were tested using NVDA with Chrome and Edge on Windows, and VoiceOver with Safari on macOS and iOS. JAWS testing was also conducted on the Funding Finder workflow.
- Keyboard-only navigation: All interactive elements were tested for keyboard accessibility — including focus order, skip links, modal dialogs, and form error handling.
- Independent third-party audit: An independent CREST-accredited / IAAP-WAS certified auditor ([independent CREST-accredited auditor]) conducted a full audit in [Month YYYY]. The full results informed this statement.
Feedback and contact information
If you experience an accessibility barrier on bim.ie, or if you need content in an alternative format (for example, large print, audio recording, or plain-text version of a PDF), please contact us:
- Online form: Report a barrier — the quickest route; we aim to respond within 5 business days.
- Email: accessibility@bim.ie (placeholder — update with real address)
- Phone: [+353 1 000 0000] (placeholder — update with real number)
Enforcement procedure
If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility query or complaint, you may contact the monitoring and enforcement body for websites of Irish public sector bodies:
National Disability Authority (NDA)
25 Clyde Road, Dublin 4, D04 F838
www.nda.ie
The NDA is designated under Regulation 11 of the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 (SI 358/2020) as the body responsible for enforcing Directive (EU) 2016/2102 in Ireland.
Statement preparation
- This statement was first published: 2026-05-16
- This statement was last reviewed: [date of last review]
- Audited by: [independent CREST-accredited auditor] in [Month YYYY]
We are committed to reviewing this statement at least annually, and following any significant update to the website's content or functionality.