Accessibility

We are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability.

Our commitment

We are committed to making our website as accessible as we can and we are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website.

What we have done

We have tried to make the website as accessible as possible. For example, we have:

  • chosen colours and text sizes that make the text easy to read
  • added captions to all videos
  • used alternative text on photographs and graphics where appropriate
  • structured our web pages so that they are logical
  • built the website using code that is compliant with standards for HTML and CSS. The site displays correctly in current browsers and using standards compliant code means any future browsers will also display it correctly.

Web standards

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of rules that tell you how to make a website accessible for as many people as possible.

The rules were created by a large group of experts that include disabled people, researchers, and technical experts.

If website designers follow the rules then the websites they create will be accessible for as many people as possible.

There are three levels of the WCAG. They are called Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

Level A contains the basic rules. Level AA has stricter rules. And Level AAA is the strictest of all.

How we comply with the rules

We want this website to comply with Level AA of the WCAG 2.1. Most of the website does comply with those rules but at present there are a few things that do not:

  • our website contains some pdf documents. Not all of those are fully accessible. We are working on making those accessible. In the meantime, if you would like a different version of those materials please get in touch and we will make a version for you.

What you can do

There are lots of tools and techniques that you can do yourself to adapt your computer and the website you visit so they meet your own personal needs.

Your web browser

Where possible use an up-to-date web browser (the program or app you use to access the internet). By using an up-to-date browser you will have access to a much richer set of options to aid you as your navigate your way around this and other websites.

The standard browsers we recommend are below:

Once installed, each browser will bring its own selection of accessibility options and may allow further options via the use of plug-ins. For more details see the Accessibility page for each one:

Options in your browser

Most modern browsers all share the most common accessibility tools, here is a list of useful features.

Incremental Search

Incremental search allows you to progressively search a web page for a particular word or phrase on a page. To enable this on your browser, press and hold ALT and then tap F . This will open a box to type your search into. As you type, the matches will be highlighted on the page for you.

Spatial Navigation

Hitting tab will jump you to each of the items you can interact with on any page. Holding the SHIFT key and then pressing tab will take you to the previous item.

Caret Navigation

Instead of using a mouse to select text and move around within a webpage, you can use standard navigation keys on your keyboard : Home, End, Page Up, Page Down & the arrow keys. This feature is named after the caret, or cursor, that appears when you edit a document.

To turn this feature on, press the F7 key at the top of your keyboard and choose whether to enable the caret on the tab you are viewing or all your tabs.

Space bar

Pressing the space bar on a web page will move the page you are viewing down to the next visible part of the page.

Text fonts

Depending on your browser, you can override all fonts on the site to one that is easier for you to read. There are guides on how to do that here:

Enlarge your view

You can activate the browser zoom via these methods:

Options on your computer

Zoom your entire computer screen

Apple Mac and Windows operating system both contain options to enlarge your view of your screen
Windows
MAC

Make your computer read the site aloud

This website has been built with screen readers in mind. Menus, pictures and inputs will have the correct tags and mark up to compliment your chosen screen reader. We have tested with following tools:

  • NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access): a free screen reader for computers running on the Windows operating system. The latest version can be downloaded for free (on this page you may be asked for a voluntary donation, if you do not wish to donate, click “skip donation this time”)
  • Windows Narrator: Microsoft Windows Narrator is available in most versions of Mircosoft Windows operating systems and reads text on the screen aloud and describes events like error messages so you can use your PC without a display.

Control your computer with your voice

Apple Mac and Windows operating systems both provide ways to control your computer with voice recognition. Find more information here:

Third party voice recognition software is available too.

Other tools

WAVE: WAVE is a free accessibility checking tool made by WebAim. Originally launched in 2001, WAVE has been used to evaluate the accessibility of millions of web pages.

Accessibility support

AbilityNet are a UK charity offering a wide range of support to enable people to use technology. Their free ‘My Computer My Way‘ guides walk you through every accessibility feature on every laptop, desktop, tablet and phone. They also offer a free IT support to disabled people of all ages. Their IT support is available through a phone helpline, via email, or from trained volunteers in your own home.

 

In summary

We are committed to providing you access to our most valuable resources. If you do spot anything which doesn’t look quite right or have any suggestions for how we might improve our services then please get in touch and let us know.