Accessibility

We believe everyone should be able to access all our products and services, no matter how they choose to contact us. We work hard to build our websites so that they are accessible and easy to use, by designing them with reference to guidelines laid down by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

So that you can have an improved online experience, we undertook a specific site build incorporating key accessibility factors (see below). We want the site to be easy to navigate, and have designed both content and layout so that it is easy to read.

Changing the size of the text
This website has been optimised for a screen resolution of 1024 x 768. If you are using a screen with a higher resolution, you can change the text size through most browsers, or (if your mouse has a wheel) by holding down CTRL and moving the wheel backward and forward. This site has been further optimised so that, on increasing the font size, the size of the page will increase accordingly meaning the layout need not be sacrificed. Some modern browsers (such as Internet Explorer 7 and Opera) have a separate zoom function, which as well as resizing the text and the page, will adjust the size of the graphics as well.

Other ways to increase usability
We use colours both to help structure and segment the page content, and also to make the site look more attractive. However, we recognise that for some users the use of colours and graphics can affect their enjoyment of the site. You can change the colour, background colour or switch off graphics completely by selecting from the options available in your browser.

We will continue to take advantage of new developments in browser technology to make sure that our site continues to be accessible as possible. We therefore recommend that you use as up-to-date a browser as you can.

If you have any comments or suggestions as to how we can improve accessibility, please Contact Us.

Key Accessibility Factors
So that you can have an improved online experience, we have incorporated the following key accessibility factors into this site:
• A standard, easy-to-read font has been used throughout.
• Simple descriptive text is used to define hyperlinks clearly.
• Alternative descriptions for images and for links are provided where appropriate.
• Font sizes can be increased to make the site easier to read.
• Strong contrast colour palettes make the site easier for visually impaired users and for those using low-colour display devices.
• The use of Flash or frames has been kept to a minimum, to avoid interference with screen readers.
• It has been tested across all commonly held browsers (if you access the site through AOL, you can use the Internet Explorer browser that accompanies it without any problems).