Accessibility

We are continually working on ways to improve the accessibility of our website.

We aim to meet the Double-A conformance of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. As there are so many pages on our website, we won't always get it right but we will continually strive to aim towards a fully accessible site. If you do experience any problems in accessing our website, or have any queries about the website please contact our Web Team.

There are however areas on the website where Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been used. Unfortunately this data is almost impossible to make directly available to those using assistive technology to access information on our website.

 

Text size

Throughout this website, we have provided text decrease and text increase buttons. These can be found at the top of the page on the black horizontal navigation bar directly below the search. Unfortunately these do not currently work on the homepage, however we are working on developing a fully accessible page.

Alternatively, you can change the font size via your web browser's menu:

  • Internet Explorer users: go to View > Text Size
  • Opera users: go to View > Zoom
  • Mozilla users: go to View > Increase Text Size
 

Speech enabled

Browsealoud link to website : Download speech enabling software for free, link will open in a new window   As part of our commitment to accessibility, our website is now speech enabled. All you have to do is download and install the browesaloud software  , which is free of charge.
 
Why speech enable our website?
 

Making our website speech enabled will make our site easier to use for large numbers of people. This includes those with dyslexia or learning difficulties and anyone with a mild visual impairment.

 
How does it work?
 
By following the simple instructions, you can download and install the browesaloud software . Once the installation has finished, information on this site can be spoken aloud. When you scroll over the text on the website, Browsealoud will read and speak what you require. Browsealoud will read every page on this website
 
Does it read PDF documents?
 
Browesaloud   will also read PDF documents in Adobe Reader Version 6.0 and above.
 
Can I customise Browsealoud?
Yes. Once the software has downloaded, look for the Browsealoud icon, which is usually found at the bottom right hand corner of your screen (next to the clock). You can right click on the icon which will give you an option to 'open Browsealoud settings', here you are able to change the pitch, speed and voice.
 
Alternative text for images
 

Where images have been used on our website, when a mouse cursor hovers over an image some text will appear that explains what the picture is of. This is useful to our customers who may use tools such as screen readers.

 
Accredited website
 
Shaw Trust logo: Accredited website   As part of our on-going commitment to our website being both accessible and useable, we have recently undertaken, and passed, a website accessibility audit which was carried out by the Shaw Trust.

The Shaw Trust carry out testing that goes beyond the use of automated tools but real users of adaptive technologies which gives a realistic view of why website accessibility is so important