Website accessibility ...and usage information.

You can use this page to obtain more information about this website and how to get the most out of it by understanding its organisation and features. You may also want to view my Copyright information, Privacy policy and have a look at my Site map.

I am committed to website accessibility and this website has been built in line with accessibility best practice, and to meet the aims of the Level Two (AA) recommendations made by the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (version 2.0), and some of those from Level Three (AAA).

I want to be as inclusive as I can. In designing this site I have considered the needs of my visitors with a range of impairments including; vision, hearing, mobility, reading difficulties, learning difficulties and for people whose second language is English.

  • Resizable text content is a browser feature many web developers inadvertently disable for Internet Explorer users. My text can be resized in any browser of any version
  • Links and form fields were made to indicate focus to prevent you from becoming disoriented on the page if you're using a keyboard to navigate. Links change to their hover state when focused upon and form fields change in a couple of ways.
  • I added hidden "jump links" which will reveal themselves when needed. Want to see what I mean? Go ahead, using your keyboard, Tab key and links will show in the upper left-hand portion of your viewing area.
  • All necessary scripting used on this site is also carried out server-side. To use this site you have to download or install nothing, and if you have JavaScript disabled, that's no problem either.
  • Clarity; Content presentation, openness of design, simplicity. These were all done with usability and accessibility in mind. Being a non-cluttered site, you should have an easy time getting around and understanding the site.
  • To ensure quality access, a lot of testing was performed using various browsing devices. Moreover, in addition to mark-up and style sheet validation, mechanical checks were made at sites like WebXact, and CynthiaSays.
  • Other. Semantic mark-up, valid code, separation of structure, styles, and content. The works. There are even a number of features that are too complicated to mention in brief. In a nutshell, this site adheres to the most current methodologies of proper web design.

I did all this and spent the extra time on a design of this quality because, quite simply, I care. I want to ensure that when you visit my site, you get everything you're after without having to struggle. This is how I make websites. It's how I'll make one for you.

Making text larger

In Internet Explorer 6:

  1. Open the 'View' menu with the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' + 'V'
  2. Select the 'Text Size' option with the mouse or by pressing 'X'
  3. Choose your preferred text size with the mouse or by using the up and down arrow keys to select it and pressing 'Enter'.

The text on my website should now have changed to reflect the size you have chosen.

In Internet Explorer 7:

In this version of Internet Explorer a zoom feature is included which allows you to enlarge the whole browser window.

To do this, press 'Ctrl' + '+' to increase the zoom and 'Ctrl' + '-' to decrease the zoom.

You can also change the text size on my site by following these steps:

  1. Open the 'Page' menu with the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' + 'P'
  2. Select the 'Text Size' option with the mouse or by pressing 'X'
  3. Choose your preferred text size by clicking on it or by using the up and down arrow keys to select it and then press 'Enter'.

The text on my website should now have changed to reflect the size you have chosen.

In Firefox:

  1. Open the 'View' menu with the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' and 'V' at the same time
  2. Select the 'Text Size' option with the mouse or by pressing 'Z'
  3. Increase or decrease the text size using the up and down arrows and pressing 'Enter'.

You can also change the text size by pressing 'Ctrl' and '+' to increase and 'Ctrl' + '-' to decrease. 'Ctrl' + '0' restores the default 'normal' size.

Tabbing around a web page

You can use the tab key to navigate around my website pages.

Using the 'Tab' key on a web page will select the next link on the page. You can tab repeatedly to get to the required link. You can move backwards through links by pressing 'Shift' + 'Tab' at the same time.

The selected link is highlighted by a dotted border around the link or similar. Once your chosen link is highlighted, use the 'Enter' key on your keyboard to trigger it.

Title and alternative text

Where feasible, title text has been used.

All images and attachments hold text alternates (known as ALT attributes).

Other

My website may have Adobe Reader (PDF) files. To read a PDF file with a screen reader please link to the Access Adobe website which provides useful tools and resources. Adobe also has a free online conversion tool for PDFs. All PDF files on this website open in a new window.