Dyspraxia Foundation - Accessibility Policy
We take accessibility on the internet very seriously and have made every effort to ensure that our website is availabe to all viewers. Where ever possible we have followed the guidelines published by accessibility experts (W3C) and pages have been checked using the latest accessibility utilities.
Validation
The pages in this web site (except for the shop and forum) have been validated to the W3C ’XHTML’ standard to ensure that the code will work correctly on the majority of web browsers. In addition the style sheet has been W3C validated to ensure there are no errors that may effect viewing.
The links below will all open new browser windows.
Accessibility
The pages in this web site (except for the shop and forum) have been checked against the W3C accessibility guidelines and these pages conform to level A, the pages have been checked using Watchfire Bobby.
The links below will both open new browser windows.
Graphics
All the graphics included in the pages have been optimised for fast viewing and because the site is developed using CSS the page load time is maximised.
A simple graphics switch is located in the top left fo the web site above the Dyspraxia Foundation logo (not included in the shop and forum), this allows you to switch over to a text only version of the website or to adjust the size of the text using the 'Text Size' drop down menu, these changes will only effect this web site.
Browser Compatibility
These pages have been designed and developed to work with a wide range of web browsers on Windows and Macintosh computers - we recommend Internet Explorer (Windows), Safari (Macintosh) or Mozzilla Firefox (for Windows or Macintosh) for the best view of the site. However most items, will work in older versions or even with text-only browsers. The only exception to this is Netscape Navigator 4 or earlier, as this has poor accessibility support.
Website Links
Throughout this site you will find that links to other web sites have been made available. It is our policy to always open these links in a new web browser window to ensure that you do not lose your place on our web site. Wherever possible these links have been marked with text informing the user of this.
E-mail Links
E-mail links within this web site will either take you directly into your e-mail application or to an on-line form which you can fill in.
Access Keys
Access keys have been used on both the main (top) and sub (side) menus, they do not apply to the drop down menus. The main menu is numbered left to right ’1 - 9’ and each of the sub menus is lettered top to bottom ’a - z’, starting at ’a’ in each menu, the only exception to this is the home page link which will always be set to the number ’0’.
These examples show the use of access keys on a windows PC:
To visit the top menu ’Services’ use key combination, ’Alt + 3’ to change the page.
To then visit ’Network Evolution’ on the side menu use the keys, ’Alt + f’ to change pages.
If you are using an Apple Macintosh computer simply use the ’control’ key instead of the ’Alt’ key, there is no need to press ’return’ at the end.
Acronyms & Abbreviations
Mordern language is full of acronyms and abbreviations, we often use these without considering the end user. This web site is not an exception to this but we have included a expanded text version when they are used for the first time on a page.
There are two reasons for this:
- Screen readers ’sound out’ words phonetically which often leads to nonsensical pronunciations of abbreviations and acronyms.
- By seeing the expanded text version the reader can better understand the content of a page.
Try this example, hold your mouse over ’ASAP’ the cursor will change and after a few seconds a box will appear giving the expanded text.