Committed to accessibility
At VerulamIT we are committed to making our websites highly accessible for all users. One of the key recommendations of the W3 Consortium are the W3C accessibility guidelines. This includes the provision of access keys for all web pages and the ability to resize text for web users with limited vision.
Access keys
These are keyboard shortcuts which allow users to navigate around a website without having to use a pointing device such as a mouse. In order to use accesskey shortcuts:
- Windows - ie7 and safari users should press the "alt" key together with the relevant number listed to the right, then the "enter" key. Opera requires shift+escape for a list of access keys and Firefox needs alt+shift then the number and enter.
- Macintosh - users should press the "Ctrl" key together with the relevent access key, then the "enter" key.
Changing the text size
Some designers prefer to provide widgets for resizing text on each website, whilst others prefer the route of educating users in how to do this automatically by using the built-in functionality with each browers. Browsers are improving all the time, with not just text resizing but also sophisticated zooming functionality being introduced in the latest generations of browsers. We therefore feel that educating is the route to follow.
Rather than repeat information on text resizing in different browsers, please visit the BBC guide to text resizing for succinct information.
