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Accessibility policy and information
We aim to make this website accessible to all users and therefore follow certain standards and government guidelines to ensure that this site can be used as effectively and easily as possible by everyone.
We are continually working to improve the accessibility and usability of the content on our website, but if you are experiencing any difficulties downloading files or accessing a particular page please contact the Web Services Team for assistance.
- Website and government standard compliance
- Viewing options
- Accessibility browser options
- Accessibility Toolbar
- Using access keys
- Difficulty using a mouse
- Changing text size
- Changing colours
- Screenreaders
- PDF documents
- Hearing and visual content
- Accessibility tips for different programs
- More information and useful accessibility links
- Related pages
Website and government standard compliance
This website has been built to comply with all of the Priority 1 ('A') accessibility checkpoint across its web presence, as established in the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) web accessibility initiative (WAI). The WAI promotes usability and accessibility for people with disabilities. The W3C promotes good practice amongst the web community via initiatives like WAI Web Contact Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
The majority of the site's pages conform to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative's 'AA' standard and we are working towards achieving this standard throughout the website. All new pages conform to 'AA' standards.
It is our aim to continue improving the level of accessibility so that we conform to the highest W3C 'Triple A' standard and the Ability Net/RNIB's See it right usability accreditation in the near future.
Viewing options
We have several alternative display options which should help you to view this website in a style that is easiest for you to read. More information is found on the Viewing options page, which can be accessed from any page using the link in the top left of the navigation banner. You can also use the links below to switch your style.
Switch to "normal" style |
Switch to "Hi-Viz" style |
Switch to "Contrast" style |
Accessibility browser options
- Microsoft Internet Options - Go to Tools, select Accessibility and you can make changes to formatting and style sheets.
- Mozilla Firefox - Go to Tools, select Options, then Advanced and you can make changes to various Accessibility options.
Accessibility Toolbar
A Web Accessibility Toolbar has been developed by the Accessible Information Solutions (AIS) team of Vision Australia. It aids quick access to a variety of accessibility tools.
Using access keys
Access keys are keyboard shortcuts which allow the user to navigate around a website or a piece of computer software without having to use a mouse. The letter or numeral if visible is usually underlined.
Due to conflicts with browser and screen reader shortcut keys, it is typically recommended to not use access keys - therefore we do not currently use them on this website.
Difficulty using a mouse
Most websites can be used without a traditional mouse, links can be selected and clicked using the keyboard.
If you find it difficult to use a mouse to navigate around the page, you can follow these steps as a substitute to using your mouse:
- Click on the TAB key on your keyboard. This will move your cursor to each of the navigation options / links on the screen.
- When you have found the link you want, press ENTER on your keyboard.
- You can also use the 'Page Up' and 'Page Down' keys on your keyboard to move the page to the area you want to read.
Changing text size
If you find the text on this site is too small or too large, you can change it easily in your browser settings. To do this you should simply adjust your browser's settings.
If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the View menu, select Text Size and then Larger/Largest or Smaller/Smallest.
If you use Mozilla Firefox, go to the View menu, select Text Size and choose Increase or Decrease.
If you use Netscape Navigator, go to the View menu and choose Increase or Decrease Font until the text is the size you require.
Changing colours
Changing the site's background colour can be particularly useful for users who rely on magnification technology as white can produce an uncomfortable glare. It is also possible to change the colour of body text on the site.
Both can be achieved by changing preferences in your browser:
If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu, select Internet Options, select Colours and make changes to text and background colours in the Colours panel.
For users of Mozilla Firefox, go to the Tools menu, select Options, open Fonts and Colours. You can make changes to Fonts and background colours and link colours.
If you use Netscape Navigator, go to the Edit menu, select Preferences, open the Appearance menu and select Colours. You can set the colour of text and background from here.
Screenreaders
The pages on this site are designed to be used with screenreaders, so that visually impaired users can easily access the content and navigate the site and as a result every page has a set of easy access keys.
PDF documents
PDF documents may not be readily accessible to screen readers and may not be formatted for visually impaired users, the following tools can be used to convert PDF documents into plain text or plain HTML documents. This service is provided by Adobe.
Online
conversion tools:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html
An Adobe Acrobat access plug-in is also available from the Adobe website.
Find out more about PDFs and why we use them on our website.
Hearing and visual content
This website is speech enabled - follow this link to download Browsealoud software to your PC. We are now also able to carry video content on the website, and we will be looking to expand the use of this feature over the coming months.
Accessibility tips for different programs
Accessibility tutorials for Microsoft products
Accessibility tips for using Adobe programs
More information and useful accessibility links
The following websites will have useful advice and information about web accessibility.
These links will take you to external websites - the council has no control over their content.
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
- Guidelines for UK Government websites
- RNIB web access centre
- Disability Rights Commission
- My Web My Way Partnership (BBC)
