Once installed, each will bring its own selection of accessibility options and may allow further options via the use of plug-ins. For more details see the Accessibility page for each one:
Options in our site
Alternative Style
Please choose a link below to change the way the site looks. Once set, the site will remain in this style for up to 30 days or until you select a different option.
We endeavour to ensure the site looks correct is these different styles but because of the constantly changing nature of the site and its content, this may not always be possible. If you do spot anything which doesn’t look quite right, then please let us know
Keyboard Short Cuts / Access Keys
Different browsers use different keystrokes to activate access key shortcuts, as shown below:
|
Browser |
Page |
Shortcut |
| Windows |
Firefox or Chrome |
Home |
Shift + Alt + 1 |
| Skip navigation menu |
Shift + Alt + 2 |
| Internet Explorer or Edge |
Home |
Alt + 1 |
| Skip navigation menu |
Alt + 2 |
| NOTE: For Internet Explorer you will need to press Enter after using the shortcut |
| Safari |
Home |
Ctrl + Alt + 1 |
| Skip navigation menu |
Ctrl + Alt + 2 |
| MacOS |
Safari |
Home |
Command + Alt + 1 |
| Skip navigation menu |
Command + Alt + 2 |
| Firefox or Chrome |
Home |
Command + Shift + 1 |
| Skip navigation menu |
Command + Shift + 2 |
Options in your browser
Most modern browsers all share the most common accessibility tools, here is a list of useful features:
Incremental Search
Incremental search allows you to progressively search a web page for a particular word or phrase on a page. To enable this on your browser, press and hold Ctrl/Command and then tap F. This will open a box to type your search into. As you type, the matches will be highlighted on the page for you.
Spatial Navigation
Hitting tab will jump you to each of the items you can interact with on any page. Holding the SHIFT key and then pressing tab will take you to the previous item.
Caret Navigation (Internet Explorer and Firefox only)
Instead of using a mouse to select text and move around within a webpage, you can use standard navigation keys on your keyboard: Home, End, Page Up, Page Down & the arrow keys. This feature is named after the caret, or cursor, that appears when you edit a document.
To turn this feature on, press the F7 key at the top of your keyboard and choose whether to enable the caret on the tab you are viewing or all your tabs.
Space bar
Pressing the space bar on a web page will move the page you are viewing down to the next visible part of the page.
Text fonts
Depending on your browser, you can override all fonts on the site to one that is easier for you to read. Options can be found in your browser’s settings/preferences.
Change Font in Firefox
Change Font in Chrome
Change Font in Safari
Change Font in Internet Explorer
Change Font in Edge
Enlarge your view
You can activate the browser zoom via these keyboard shortcuts
Zoom in Firefox
Zoom in Chrome
Zoom in Safari
Zoom in Internet Explorer
Zoom in Edge
Options on your computer
To zoom your entire computer screen
Apple Mac and Windows operating system both contain options to enlarge your view of your screen:
Windows
Apple OS X
Make your computer read the site aloud
This website has been built with screen readers in mind. Menus, pictures and inputs will have the correct tags and mark up to compliment your chosen screen reader.
We have tested with following tools:
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free screen reader for computers running on the Windows operating system.
The latest version can be downloaded for FREE here (on this page you may be asked for a voluntary donation, if you do not wish to donate, click “skip donation this time”)
WAVE is developed and made available as a free community service by WebAIM. Originally launched in 2001, WAVE has been used to evaluate the accessibility of millions of web pages. Read more here
Microsoft Windows Narrator is available in most versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems and reads text on the screen aloud and describes events like error messages so you can use your PC without a display. To find out more and how to enable it on your version, please click here
Control your computer with your voice
Apple Mac and Windows operating systems both provide ways to control your computer with voice recognition:
Windows
Apple OS X
Third-party voice recognition software is available too.
In summary
We are committed to providing you access to our most valuable resources. If you do spot anything which doesn’t look quite right or have any suggestions for how we might improve our services, then please let us know.
