Accessibility

Introduction

We have redesigned and redeveloped the home page and site navigation recently, to offer more options and to help you find your way more easily around the site. Content pages mostly conform to World Wide Web Consortium accessibility standards, but there are some things you can do to make your experience of using our site even better. Select the links below to find out what these are.

• Site accessibility features

• Customising your computer

• Using keyboard shortcuts

• Useful links

• Comments and feedback

Site accessibility features

Skipping to content and footer links

For users who have assistive technology such as screen or Braille readers, we have included two links at the top of every page to allow you to bypass repetitive information:

• a skip to content link which takes you straight to the main heading on the page
• a skip to footer link which takes you to a selection of useful links.

Resizable text

By default, text is set at the smallest font size, but you can resize the text on all pages to one of two larger fonts, using the font links at the top right of the screen:

1. On the yellow bar, under the search box, top right, find the three different sized 'A's.
2. Select the middle 'A' to get the next larger size, or the largest 'A' to get the largest available size.
3. Select the smallest 'A' to revert to the smallest text.

If your browser has cookies enabled, when you next visit us the site will display at the text size you selected.

Flexible width and scalable layout

You can drag the four edges of the website to display any size you want. The page content adjusts automatically to display correctly for the shape you choose:

1. If you have full screen display, select the 'Restore down' button at top right, to see the edges of the display window.
2. Move the pointer over a display window edge until two arrows appear.
3. Drag the top, bottom and side edges to the shape and size you want.

You can change your display this way in any application, not just on our website (although the content may not adjust). Next time you visit us and select 'Restore down', your display will be the size and shape you last chose, regardless of where you chose it from.

Customising your computer

AbilityNet and the BBC have developed a number of tutorials which tell you how to customise your computer to give you a better experience when using the web. For example, you can find out how to:

• change how information is shown on your screen, to get more on, or to see content more clearly
• change colours and fonts, a good idea if you have a visual impairment and need more contrast
• adapt the mouse, for example, to slow it down, make the pointer bigger, or if you’re left-handed  
• change a variety of keyboard settings, including the rate at which the cursor blinks

Go to AbilityNet for more information, or My Web My Way to see the tutorials.

Using keyboard shortcuts

You can use keys on the keyboard to move around our website more quickly. These are called shortcuts, and the keys you use depend on your browser. Find information for the four main browsers by selecting:

• Internet Explorer version 5 shortcuts
• Internet Explorer version 6 shortcuts
• Internet Explorer version 7 shortcuts
• Firefox shortcuts
• Opera shortcuts
• Safari shortcuts

Useful links

You can download free software from the web, and find out about accessibility features for a variety of systems. Select the links below:

• www.abilitynet.org.uk – for information about customising your computer
• My Web My Way – for information and tutorials, developed by the BBC and AbilityNet, on customising your computer
• www.screenreader.net/ - for access to the award-winning free screen reader Thunder
• www.microsoft.com/enable/training/default.aspx - for details about the Microsoft accessibility wizard and how to use it
• www.apple.com/accessibility - for details about the Apple Macintosh accessibility features
• www.opera.com/features/access/ - for details about the Opera browser's accessibility features
• www.accessfirefox.org/ - to enable accessibility features in Firefox and download extentions

Comments and feedback

If you have any comments or feedback about any of the features or content on our site we would love to hear what you have to say. Please contact us.