Accessibility

We have designed the site to be accessible for disabled users and visitors using the different technologies (browsers, screens etc.):

Alternative Styles

We have included 3 additional styles for the site for visually impaired users. These allow users to change the font and background colours and also to change the size of the text:

An additional style is also activated when a page is printed, to remove coloured backgrounds and images, reducing the amount of printer ink required.

Access Keys

We also follow the Government Access Keys scheme. Access keys have been used to enable users to navigate the site using a keyboard instead of a mouse.

The way the keys works varies, but on most systems you should press ALT with the access key (number or letter as follows), and then press enter to jump to the required page:

  • S - Skip Navigation
  • 0 - Access Key Details
  • 1 - Home
  • 2 - What's New
  • 3 - Site Map
  • 8 - Terms & Conditions (Legal Information)

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and UK Government Guideline Compliance

The site complies with W3C CSS and XHTML standards which show that the site will be accessible to all browsers and devices that also comply to these standards.

The site has a WAI rating of A which shows that accessibility options will function with compliant browsers and devices

We have also followed UK Government Guidelines in designing the site.

Adjusting text Size and Colour

In addition to the alternative styles offered, users can also customise the font size. The method of doing this is different for each browser, but since Internet Explorer is currently the most popular browser, we have included instructions below:

  • Click on ‘View’ (the 3 rd from left menu button)
  • Select ‘Text Size’ from the drop down menu
  • Select the size

Images and Alt Tags

All images in the site have been given an alternative text description that can be read by special screen readers.

Tables

Any information contained in tables is also given additional text descriptions that help screen readers to convey the information to visually impaired users.

Navigation

The site navigation is consistent on each page, and we have provided text alternatives to all navigation images

Browser Compatibility

The site has been tested and is compatible with the following browsers:

  • Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0
  • Firefox 2.0.0.1
  • Opera 9.0.2
  • Safari 2.0.3

Screen resolution

The site has been developed to be viewed on 800x600 screen resolution or higher. This ensures that older PCs can also view the site without the need for horizontal scrolling.