Accessibility
PCMS has made a commitment to make this website accessible. The information and options below are provided to help you to customise your experience of this site.
This site conforms to Level Double-A of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, including all Priority 1 and Priority 2 and a number of the Priority 3 checkpoints as defined in the Guidelines. We have also implemented a number of specific accessibility features, including:
- Page layout instructions for screen-reading software
- Provision of access keys and 'skip links'
- Code is validated to WC3 Standards Compliant
- Provision of a site map
- Ability to change text size
Compatibility
We have tested this site for screen reader and text-only browsing capability using Lynx and JAWS. If you use different software and are experiencing problems browsing this site, please let us know.
Access keys
For the benefit of users with screen readers, a skip navigation facility has been provided on this site, which will take you straight to the main content of the page. Continue reading for more information on access keys.
The following access keys are active on all standard pages of this site:
- ALT and 0 - Access Key Details
- ALT and 1 - Home Page
- ALT and 2 - Skip to Page Content
- ALT and 3 - Site Map
- ALT and 4 - Primary Navigation
- ALT and 5 - Secondary Navigation
- ALT and 6 - Search
Internet Explorer 5+ (PC) Hold down the ALT key, press the number of the access key, release both keys then press ENTER
Internet Explorer 4 (PC): Hold down the ALT key and press the number of the access key
Internet Explorer 4.5 (Mac): Access keys are not supported
Internet Explorer 5+ (Mac): Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key
Netscape 6 and earlier (PC and Mac): Access keys are not supported
Netscape 7 (PC): Hold down the ALT key and press the number of the access key
Firefox, Mozilla (PC): Hold down the ALT key and press the number of the access key
Firefox, Mozilla (Mac): Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key
Safari and Omniweb (Mac): Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key
Opera: Hold down the Shift key and press Escape, release both keys, then press the number of the accesskey
Layout
Text is laid out using W3C style sheets standards. Users can change the style sheets in their browsers to make viewing easier for their individual requirements. XHTML 1.0 Strict is used across the site.
If you wish to confirm the validity of the HTML and CSS used in this site you can use the W3C HTML Validation Service and the W3C CSS Validation Service.
Site Map
There is a site map which is linked from the bottom of all pages which can help you navigate around the site.
Changing text size
You can increase (or reduce) the size of the text to suit your level of vision and viewing preferences.
This is how you change text size in the most commonly used browsers:
Instructions for PCs
- In Internet Explorer, go to "View" on the top menu bar of the browser, scroll down and select "Text Size", then select the required text size.
- In Netscape and Mozilla and Internet Explorer, go to "View" in the top bar of the browser, then select "Text Zoom" or "Text size", and choose the required text size.
Instructions for Macs
- In Netscape and Internet Explorer, go to "View" in the top bar of the browser, then select "Text Zoom" or "Text size" Internet Explorer, go to "View" in the top bar of the browser, then select "Text Zoom" or "Text size", and choose the required text size.
- In Safari , go to "View" in the top bar of the browser, then choose "Make text bigger" or "Make text smaller" in the dropdown. If you are using another browser, check its Help facility to find out how to change text size.
Downloadable Documents
Where possible downloadable documents have been provided in PDF format across this site. If you would like to read a PDF document with a screen reader please follow this link to the Access Adobe website.
External Links
All external links on this site are marked as such in the link title but do will not open a new window without a user request (i.e. open new window / open new tab).
Further Information & Notes
Supplementary information on these accessibility issues can be found at WebXACT webpage accessibility assessment tool and the Web Accessibility Initiative.
Please note that some assistive technology tools such as the IBM HomePage Reader and WindowEyes already make use of the alt+[access key] combinations. As such, users of these tools will not be able to use these access keys.
These access key assignments are based on research into best practice across the web (in an attempt to be consistent with other sites' access keys), and an understanding of the key global navigation requirements of PCMS website users.