Help Topic: Access for the Visually Impaired

This site has been designed to provide maximum flexibility and access for the visually impaired. This means that all font sizes are based on the settings within your browser. Additionally, where ever possible we have ensured that backgrounds and font colors are within the control of your browser, we have aimed to use ALT and TITLE tags as well. If you are having trouble accessing any part of our site, please contact us and we will do whatever we can to help.

Basic help to customize your browser...

Firefox 3.0+

To access the area where you can customize the visibility settings click Tools>Options - then select the Content tab at the top. In the middle of the screen you'll then see a section called "Fonts and Colors". Here you will be able to adjust ...

The default font type and text size. This text size adjustment is usually all that is required.
If you click on the "Advanced" button you will be able to adjust more types of font and certain sizes. You will also be able to select a minimum font size.
The "Colors" button allows you to alter the background and default font colors for high contrast etc. Note that some of our font colors are fixed in the navigation area etc however these can still be overridden by you by unchecking the "Allow pages to choose their own colors".

Remember that with 3.0+ you can use Cntl-/Cntl+ to amended the size of the page on the website instantly.

Internet Explorer 7+

Start by clicking Tools>Internet Options - then make sure you are on the "General" tab. At the bottom of the screen is a section that allows you to alter the appearance ...

"Colors" allows you to change the color of text and backgrounds. By default IE7 takes up your Windows settings but these can be overridden by unchecking the box at the top of the window.
To change the default fonts in use, clock on the "Fonts" button.
Note that some elements of our site use fixed font colors. These can be overridden by clicking on the "Accessibility" button and checking relevant boxes.

To amend the font size, you need to click Page>Text Size - here you can select a variety of different sizes.

Note that you can also make use of the Cntl=/Cntl+ to amend the page size quickly to suit your requirements.

IE7 also provides a number of advanced settings for accessibility which can be found by clicking Tools>Internet Options and then selecting the "Advanced" tab.

Google Chrome(BETA)

Click on the settings icon (the spanner in the top right corner) and select "Options".
In the new window which opens, click on the "Minor Tweaks" tab at the top.
At the bottom you will see a section for "Fonts and Languages". Click on the button "Change font and language settings".
Here you will be able to click "Change" to tailor your visual experience. For each option that you change, click "ok".
When you are finish adjusting your fonts and sizes, click "ok" to leave the "Font and Language" settings, then "Close" to exit options.

It is not currently possible on Chrome to amend the default backgrounds and colours.

Further Help and Suggestions

We are committed to maximising our accessibility, so if you need any help we will do our best to support you. Also, if you notice anything we've missed, or have any suggestions to make our site more accessible, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us.