Alex Hardy

Accessibility

Accessibility describes the goal of making a document on the Internet (such as a webpage) available to all. An individual’s opportunity to find and comprehend information should not be impeded by their choice of device, software, or a personal disability.

At [whatever domain], we are committed to this objective. We describe this as a “goal”, because it is a constant process of improvement.

Rather than dwell on jargon and theory, we prefer to describe our efforts in plain English.

Use of Colour

For the benefit of users with colour-perception deficiencies, we do not convey any information solely by colour coding.

Text

• Text contrasts strongly against its background to ensure legibility.
• The size of text within the site has been carefully chosen, but users that find the text on the page too small for their liking can increase the size.
• For those with cognitive difficulties, the copy is in the clearest, simplest language appropriate to the content.

Supporting Information

• Images and links have information to describe them in greater detail.
• Tables can have information that summarises their purpose

Links

• All links are accessible in any browser.
• There are no links that open pop-up windows.

Rich Media

There is no information presented through Flash or other rich media that is not accessible if those media are unsupported.

Printing

All pages of the site have been designed to print well. There are no “Printer Friendly” alternatives - just print!

Keyboard navigation

Users with reduced motor function, or simply a device that doesn’t have a mouse, will rely on being able to navigate a website using the control mechanisms that they do have. These may be anything from a standard keyboard, to a handheld joypad, to a headset for a user who is paralysed.

• You can navigate the links and form objects on a page using the tab key or its equivalent for your device.
• We have assigned keystrokes to main navigation links, so that users can move around the website without a mouse even more easily.This technique is called “Accesskeys”. For instance, pressing ctrl-1 links to the homepage.

Screen Readers

Users that are blind or partially-sighted may choose to use a Screen Reader, which is a program which speaks aloud the text content of a document. Content that is not presented visually can be added to a webpage to enhance its usefulness to Screen Reader users:

• Links at the top of the page enable the user to skip directly to certain areas, such as main page content. This means that the user does not necessarily have to wait for the computer to speak aloud information that they have already heard.
• Abbreviations for items such as table column headers — which would save a user time on repetitive content. For example, the Screen Reader could say “telephone number” in the first instance, and “phone” for all subsequent rows.

Web standards
We have built this website to conform to modern web standards. It has been tested thoroughly on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Netscape and Opera.

We continue to improve our support for standards but make no concessions to older, non-compliant web browsers. If this website displays incorrectly for you, please contact us. We may then, at our discretion and in our own time, attempt to resolve the situation.

Scripted behaviours and data validation

• We have enhanced certain parts of the site with programmed behaviours and animations. The site will still be usable if these behaviours are unsupported by your software
• Server-side validation is in place to check form submissions, in the event that the aforementioned behaviours are unsupported.

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If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding our accessibility policy, please contact us.

Posted on Monday, October 23rd, 2006 at 2:44 pm under Accessibility. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.