Our aim is to meet all priority 1 and 2 requirements of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0). Meeting this standard is commonly known as Level AA compliance.
To achieve this conformance level the site implements several methods to ensure content is easily accessible to a wide variety of users. You can read more and change your settings below.
Text size
You can use your browser to change the size of text and images in web pages. In Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome, you'll find the zoom settings in the View menu. You can also use your mouse or keyboard.
In almost all browsers the following controls work:
- Zoom in by pressing and , or by holding down the key and scrolling your mouse wheel away from you.
- Zoom out by pressing and , or by holding down the key and scrolling your mouse wheel towards you.
- Return to normal size by pressing and .
NB: Use instead of on Apple computers.
Use of colour
This website enables you to alter the contrast of the screen by reversing the foreground and background colours, making the text easier to read.
Select one of the options below to change the contrast setting:
High contrast |
Standard colours
Where the meaning of text on the website is implied through the use of colour, there will always be associated text to indicate its meaning.
Text only
The website design includes the facility to remove images and style sheets, providing users with a simplified format. Select one of the options
below to change the text only setting:
Text only |
Display styles
Skip to content
There is a skip to content link at the top of every web page which moves the focus to the start of the main content on a web page.
Images
All images on the website have alternative text (alt text), which is displayed when users have turned off images in their browser, or when they are using screen reader technology.
The text contained in the alt text will depend on the reason for the image:
- Content images - will have alternative text with a summary of the image
- Images used as links - will have alternative text with a summary of the image
- Decorative images - will be given empty alternative text, so that they are silent when a screen reader reads the page
Valid HTML
The web pages on this site have been passed through a HTML Validator, which checks for any incorrect programming code against the W3C standards. Sites that pass these validation checks will be read more easily by screen reader technologies.
Header elements
Every web page within the site has appropriate headings, and where applicable subheadings. The headings provide logical breaks in the content and are indicated to users using screen reader technologies.
Field labels
All data entry fields on the site have an associated label for clarity when using screen reader technologies.
Sitemap
This website has a sitemap that lists all the pages on the site, providing the user with one click access to all web pages - Go to Sitemap
Navigating the site
You can move to different pages by using main categories on the menu bar at the top of each page. If you move your mouse over a button or link text you will notice the cursor change to a hand, this indicates that on selecting one of these options you will be directed to a different page.
Appropriate link and title text
Any text within the site that links to another page will clearly describe the new page; if you move your mouse over the text further information explaining the page will display in a standard tooltip.
