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[ Home Page > Notices > Accessibility Notice ]

Accessibility Notice

We have tried to design Harlow.gov.uk to make it as accessible as possible but still visually interesting. To do this we have included a variety of features which are summarised below. Click on the links to see information on the particular accessibility issues.

 

  • Access Keys
  • Images and Alt tags
  • Resizable Text
  • Coding to Standards
  • Consistent Navigation

Access Keys

The ability to navigate the site using other means than a mouse can be important for those who have difficulties in using a mouse or other pointing device. To help with this we have set up 'Access Keys' (see below) on the site which allows easy navigation to the main pages on the web site.
 
As well as helping those who have difficulty using a Mouse it also allows quick access to the main pages for anyone who prefers to use the keyboard.
 
To use the access keys on the site follow these steps
 

1. Press and hold the 'alt' key
2. Press the required letter
3. Press the return key and the browser will load the relevant page. 

 
As well as standard UK Government access keys we have added some of our own specific to Harlow.gov.uk. Details are shown below.
 
Government standard
 

S skip navigation
1 Homepage
2 What's new?
3 Site map
4 Search facility (via the Site A-Z)
5 Frequently asked questions
6 Help facility
7 Complaints procedure ('Contact Harlow’ page)
8 Disclaimer (including terms and privacy policy)
9 Feedback facility
0 The menu page of access keys used

 
(Please note Access Keys may not work on all browsers)
 

Images and Alt Tags

We have avoided using excessive graphics within the web site where possible to ensure quick download times and access to information which cannot be read when in image format.
 
Where images have been used we have added 'Alt' tags - text alternatives so that you can still see what the image is meant to convey even if it doesn't load or if you've have chosen to browse with the images switched off or you are using something like a screen reader to read the web page rather than view.
 

Re-sizable Text

We have been careful to make sure that we haven't fixed the size of the textual information on the web site so that visitors who wish to can alter the font size on the screen to make it easier to read. There are a couple of ways to enable this. 
 
All you need to do this is to go down to the bottom of any page where you will find a link to accessibility options. You can...
 
1: Select the Accessibility Options link which will take you to page where you can change the font size and other accessibility settings, or
2: Select one of the larger or smaller 'A's, which will increase your font size accordingly.
Both of these options will remember your text size choice next time you return to the site.
 
It is also possible to increase the size of the text by holding down the ctrl key on the bottom left hand row of the key board whilst using the scroll wheel on the mouse to increase (or decrease) the size of the text.

Browser Compatibility

This site has been tested with the following browsers for compatibility.
 
  • Internet Explorer 5.0  6.0 & 7.0
  • Netscape Navigator 4.75, 6.2, 7.0
  • Opera 6.2 to 9.25

Later versions of these browsers should continue to be compatible.

Coding Standards

Although there is not a single definitive standard to use when coding we have tried to make sure our site conforms to W3C standards for html and css scripts. Adhering to these standards should make our site accessible across browsers which adhere to the same standards, and should make our pages more accessible to those using screen readers and similar devices.

Consistent Navigation

Throughout the site we have tried to keep the navigation consistent. Certain pages (About the Council, Payments, Online Services, News, Jobs  A to Z, Maps, Translation, Search, Site map, Text only, Webmaster, Print friendly etc) are available from every single page on the website.
 
The top level of navigation to the main sections, About the Council, Payments, Online Services, News, Jobs and so on are available at all times via the tabs.We have tried to make the navigation as easy as possible. With large numbers of pages of information this can be difficult to display on a side menu as it sometimes makes it stretch out below the bottom of the browser window.
 
To make this side menu simpler we have displayed only the top level under each tab in the side menu. When you choose one of those options only the levels related to that area are displayed underneath. If you do not find what you want in any of the sections you go to, all you need to do is to chose the link above that section in the menu to go backwards in the navigation or uset he home link to go back up to the top level.
 
If you have trouble locating anything in Harloweb, don't forget to try the Site Map, Search facility or the A to Z of services both available on the top toolbar our website.
 
If you have any comments about the navigation on the site please contact our Webmaster on the link in the footer of this page. We have tried to make it as easy as possible, but with large numbers of pages of information this can be difficult.