Accessibility Instructions
ITnews is committed to creating a service that is accessible to everyone. This page is designed to assist those with special needs for browsing ITnews.
Keyboard Navigation
To make ITnews pages easy to navigate using the keyboard, access keys (shortcuts) have been created that let you place focus on specific parts of pages that have access keys enabled. Access keys are key combinations that select the desired element. Whenever an object on the page (such as a link or form control) is accessed, it is said to have 'received the focus'.
ITnews has been designed to support the latest versions of all standards-compliant browsers, although the behaviour of access keys may vary according to the browser you are using.
- If you use Internet Explorer you may not see that the link or control being accessed has indeed received the focus. In any event, you must access the object and then press the Enter key to actuate it.
- Netscape Navigator clearly shows whenever an object has the focus. When you access an object in Navigator the object is actuated immediately, that is, you do not need to press the Enter key.
- The Opera browser has extensive support for user configuration of keyboard shortcuts. As such, the access keys set up for ITnews may not function in Opera by default.
Note that earlier versions of these and other browsers may not support the use of access keys.
Access keys
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to navigate pages:
- ALT+1 : Only used on pages that include a search facility in the banner, this shortcut places you in the search text box.
- ALT+2 : Places you at the beginning of the global navigation bar running horizontally across the browser. You can then use the Tab key to move between the navigation buttons.
- ALT+3 : Places you at the beginning of the Main Menu in the panel to the left of the browser window. You can then Tab to the Home Page button and then through the menu. When a menu category has the focus, press the Enter key to open it, and then use the Tab key to move between the menu options.
- ALT+4 : Places you at the start of the main page content in the centre of the browser window. You can then Tab to any links and form controls contained within the page.
- ALT+5 : Places you at the beginning of the sidebar column to the right of the browser. You can Tab to the Toggle Width link and then to any other links or form controls contained within the sidebar.
- ALT+6 : Places you at the beginning of the footer section on each page. You can then Tab to the global links contained in the footer.
- ALT+L : Places focus on the Username field of the Logon form to the left of the browser window.
- ALT+P : Places focus on the Print control and starts your browser's print feature in the usual way.
Features for the Visually Impaired
ITnews incorporates several features to support the blind and poor-sighted.
For blind users, each page supports text-to-speech in browser readers or screen readers, and includes page navigation functions at the start of each page that can be used to jump to specific content or page features (these navigational features are 'hidden' from mainstream browsers used by sighted users).
ITnews also fully supports the poor-sighted and colour blind through text scaling and selectable colour themes.
Text Scaling
All text on ITnews is specified in percentage terms, meaning that its size can be increased inside the browser window for easier viewing. The ability to support text scaling varies from browser to browser, but given below are some guidelines for the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera.
- In Internet Explorer, select the View | Text Size menu command. You can then choose from a range of text sizes (Largest, Larger, Medium (default), Smaller and Smallest). Note that Internet Explorer cannot resize images.
- In Netscape Navigator, select the View | Text Zoom menu command. You then have a range of text sizes (in percentages) to choose from, or you can select your own percentage. You can also continually increase or decrease the current zoom factor by pressing the Ctrl and +, or Ctrl and - key combinations. Note that Navigator cannot resize images.
- In Opera, select the View | Zoom menu command. You then have range of percentages to choose from. Opera scales everything on the page, not just text, so images will also increase in size as you increase the zoom factor.
Even the same browser product can behave differently on different platforms. For example, Internet Explorer on the Mac will scale images, whereas the Windows version cannot. Check with your supplier for details.
Colour Themes
ITnews supports several colour schemes, or 'themes', which change the appearance of all objects on the screen (photographs notwithstanding). Although most themes are cosmetic and are purely to accommodate taste, two themes are included for those who have difficulty perceiving colours.
The first of these themes is the Silver theme which presents all objects on the page in greyscale. The second, and perhaps more important is the High Contrast theme for those with severe visual impairments. This theme presents objects in fluorescent, high contrast colours.
Both of these themes are selectable from the sidebar to the right of the browser window. If you have scripts enabled in your browser, your settings will remain current each time you visit ITnews.
Give Us Your Feedback
We are committed to providing an accessible service at ITnews. If you experience problems or have any suggestions for improvement, please email us at accessibility@itnews.org.uk.