Accessibility

Compliance

This website is written using XHTML and conforms to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative at level AA.

Below is a selection of the guidelines we have complied with:

• Allow font sizes to be increased by the user (via the web browsing software, for example Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc).
• Provide text alternatives for all non-text content, eg images, tables and links.
• Ensure that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour.
• Ensure sufficient contrast exists between background and foreground colours.
• Pages must be readable where style sheets (CSS) are disabled or are not supported by the web browser.
• Ensure that all information can be reached where JavaScript is disabled or is not supported by the web browser.
• Provide labels and default text for all form fields.
• Clearly identify the target of each link.

The colour scheme used for the squares within the Search Visualizer is designed to be usable by colour-blind users, following accessibility guidelines.

Please note that the main search features of our site use JavaScript and CSS Style Sheets; though we have ensured that you can still access all our textual content when these are disabled, the main search feature itself will be unavailable. We strongly reommend that you enable these features of your web browser when using our site.

Text

Text can be scaled by changing the browser settings or by using your mouse wheel. Verdana and Arial is used throughout for body text as it is easier to read onscreen. Our text content is clear, concise and accessible to all.

Images

Rollover descriptions for content images (ALT tags), and also for links (TITLE tags) wherever possible. The use of Flash and frames is minimised on our website as it can cause problems for screen readers and special browsers. Text alternatives available for text presented as graphics.

Navigation

Hyperlinks are clearly indicated and descriptive. Navigation is consistent and logical throughout the site, to help you access the information you need as swiftly as possible.