Accessibility information
In the course of building the Njala University website the builders, developers and designers did their best to incorporate accessibility features. In addition we have looked for techniques and technology which might make access easier. The problem of course is that by presenting these in this format we may be excluding the very people who need them. If you know someone who is having difficulty accessing the Web these notes may help you help them. We have used slightly larger text in an effort to help.
This article has been divided into two sections. The first section highlights the available tools for general computer usage, and the second section guides the user on how to adjust settings in the web browser.
Accessibility Tools
Windows Narrator
Windows Narrator is a very basic screen-reading program to help those that have vision or literacy difficulty. Available in Windows 2000 and XP, Vista and 7, it will offer speech feedback for menus and dialog boxes, Windows Explorer and Notepad. Unfortunately, Windows Narrator does not screen-read entire Word documents or web pages.
Windows Narrator can be started by clicking on 'Start' using a mouse or by pressing the 'Start' key on the keyboard or by pressing 'Ctrl' + 'Esc' . Click on 'All Programs' or use the up and down arrows to highlight 'All Programs' and press 'Enter'.
Click on 'Accessories' or use the up and down arrows to highlight 'Accessories' and press 'Enter'.
Depending on your operating system version, click on 'Accessibility' or 'Ease of Access'. Alternatively, use the up and down arrows to highlight 'Accessibility' or 'Ease of Use' and press 'Enter'.
Click on 'Narrator' or highlight 'Narrator' with the arrow keys and press 'Enter '. This will display the 'Microsoft Narrator' dialog box and should immediately start talking.
Alternative Speech Programs
There are a number of alternative programs that allow text to be spoken back to benefit those with reading difficulties. Some of these are highlighted below.
IBM Homepage Reader: IBM's Home Page Reader will structure and display websites in a text-only format and speak out all text, links and picture tooltips.
Jaws and Window-eyes: Blind users may want to use full screen-readers to provide suitable access to many programs such MS Word, Internet Explorer and MS Word
Screen magnification software
Some users benefit from software that magnifies the text, menus and icons on their computer. A possible drawback is that a smaller portion of the original image is displayed when enlarging the magnification. Some software can address the problem of accessing other parts of the original image by using techniques such as following the mouse cursor. The problem can also be addressed by using a larger monitor. Windows XP and later has a pre-installed screen magnifier software. Third party alternatives include iZoom, ZoomText, Lunar and SuperNova.
Windows Screen Magnifier
Open the Windows magnifier using the following steps:
Open the 'Start' menu using the mouse or by pressing the 'Start' key or pressing 'Ctrl' + 'Esc'. Click on 'Programs' or use the directional arrow keys to highlight 'Programs' follow by pressing the 'Enter' key. Click on 'Accessories' or highlight it using the directional arrow keys and press 'Enter'. Select 'Accessibility' or 'Ease of Use', depending on your version of Windows, and then select 'Magnifier' from the available options.
Useful shortcuts include i) 'Start' and '+' or '-' to zoom in or out, ii) 'Ctrl' + 'Alt' + arrow key to pan the magnified portion, and, iii) 'Start' + 'Esc' to exit Magnifier.
Braille Display
A hardware device that consists of a series of cells where each cell contains eight pins that move up and down for each character that appears on the screen.
Voice Recognition Software
An alternative input device for users that have either difficulty with their hands or dyslexia is Voice Recognition Software. Combined with a audio input device (e.g. a Microphone), users can input characters and words by voice. This does, however, sometimes require a lot of time and effort to train the software. For information about Voice Recognition software, and computing for people with motor and other disabilities, please go to the AbilityNet website.
Browser Configuration
Many web browsers include features which can help the user. We enclose notes on some of the main browsers. Any which are not listed should be checked out using their Help pages. It is recommended that you use download and install the latest versions of your web browser.
Firefox 1.5 and later
Press 'Ctrl' and '+' to zoom in on the website and 'Ctrl' and '-' to zoom out. Pressing 'Ctrl' and '0' will return you to the default 'normal' size.
In you web browser, open the 'Tools' menu using the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' and 'T'. Click on 'Options', or press 'O'. The Options dialog box should appear on the screen. Open the 'Content' tab by either clicking on it with the mouse or highlight it using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
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To alter the font size, open the Fonts dialog box by clicking the 'Advanced' button, or press 'Alt ' + 'D' or 'Alt' + 'A' (depending on your version of Mozilla). Where it says 'Minimum Font Size', use the mouse or press 'Alt' + 'O' to select a minimum font size from the drop down box. Once finished click 'OK' or highlight the 'OK' button with the 'Tab' key and press 'Enter'.
To alter the text and background colour of the website, open the Colours dialog box by clicking the 'Colours' button, or press 'Alt' + 'C'. To select a colour for both text and background, click on the colour swatch and select the desired colour from the palette. On your keyboard press 'Alt' + 'T' and then the down arrow key to display the palette. Use the arrow keys to highlight the desired colour and then hit the space bar. Press 'Alt' + 'B' and repeat the process to select a background colour. Click on the 'Allow pages to choose their own colors, instead of my selections above' checkbox to remove the tick or Press 'Alt' + 'A' followed by the space bar. Once satisfied with your selection, click 'OK' or highlight the 'OK' button with the 'Tab' key and press 'Enter'.
Firefox (Earlier Versions)
Press 'Ctrl' and '+' to zoom in on the website and 'Ctrl' and '-' to zoom out. Pressing 'Ctrl' and '0' will return you to the default 'normal' size. Pressing 'Ctrl' and '0' will return you to the default 'normal' size.
To make changes to the font size and text/background colour, open the 'Tools' menu with the mouse or press 'Alt' + 'T'. Click on ' Options', or press ' O ' , to open the Options dialog box. Open the 'General' tab by either a click of the mouse or press 'Tab' until it is highlighted and then press the 'Enter' key. Click on 'Fonts & Colors', or press ' F ', to open the 'Fonts and Colors' dialog box.
Please refer to the Help section of your browser to complete the customisation process.
Internet Explorer 7 and later
Press 'Ctrl' and '+' to zoom in on the website and 'Ctrl' and '-' to zoom out. Pressing 'Ctrl' and '0' will return you to the default 'normal' size.
In your browser, open the 'Tools' menu using the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' + 'O'. Click on 'Internet Options' or press 'O' to open the 'Internet Options' dialog box.
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To alter the text size, in the 'General' tab, click on the 'Accessibility' button or press 'Alt' + 'E'. Click on 'Ignore font sizes specified on webpages' or press 'Alt' + Z if there is not a tick in the checkbox next to it. Click 'OK' to exit the 'Accessibility' dialog box and click 'OK' to return to the website. Alternatively, highlight the 'OK' button with the 'Tab' key and press 'Enter'. In your browser, open the 'Page' menu using the mouse or by pressing ' Alt'+'P '. Select 'Text Size' or press 'X'. Choose your preferred text size using the mouse or by using the up and down arrows on your keyboard and press ' Enter '.
To alter the text and background colour, in the 'General' tab, click on the 'Accessibility' button or press 'Alt' + 'E'. Click on 'Ignore colors specified in webpages' or press 'Alt' + 'C' if there is not a tick in the checkbox next to it. Select 'OK' to exit the 'Accessibility' dialog box or highlight the 'OK' button with the 'Tab' key and press 'Enter'.
The text on the website should changed to reflect your choice. The page may need refreshing or the browser restarting before any changes are noticed.
Note: For earlier versions of Internet Explorer, please refer to the Help section of your browser.
Opera 10.1
Press '+' to zoom in on the website and '-' to zoom out. In some instances you may need to press the 'Shift' key as well
To view the website with a black text and white background contrast, open the 'View' menu using the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' + 'V'. From the available options select 'Style' and then 'High Contrast B/W' or press 'S' followed by 'H'. Repeat this process to switch the high contrast off.
To view the website with a white text and black background contrast, open the 'View' menu using the mouse or by pressing 'Alt' + 'V'. From the available options select 'Style' and then 'High Contrast W/B' or press 'S' followed by 'G'. Repeat this process to switch the high contrast off.
Safari 4.0.3
Press 'Ctrl' and '+' to zoom in on the website and 'Ctrl' and '-' to zoom out. Pressing 'Ctrl' and '0' will return you to the default 'normal' size.
To set a minimum text size, click on the 'Action' icon, represented by a clog, and select 'Preferences' from the drop down. In the 'Advanced' tab, enter a minimum font size and ensure that 'Never use font sizes smaller than...' is ticked. If you want to navigate the site using the 'Tab' key, then tick the 'Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage'.
Google Chrome
Press 'Ctrl' and '+' to zoom in on the website and 'Ctrl' and '-' to zoom out. Pressing 'Ctrl' and '0' will return you to the default 'normal' size
