Website accessibility

Standards compliance and guidelines

We have designed this website with usability and accessibility best practices in mind. We aim to meet or exceed the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to AA level.

For more information and a conformance level checklist, visit the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website.

All our website code is validated by validator.w3.org according to relevant doctypes when launched, to increase reliable rendering across all browsers, to enable faster downloads and for easier navigation for screen readers.

All pages on this site use structured semantic markup. Separation of structure (HTML), presentation (CSS) and behaviour (JavaScript) is practiced where possible.

Social media accounts

All Council-created content on Council-managed social media accounts aims to meet WCAG requirements.

However, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of user-generated content on Council social media accounts - for example, images or video uploaded by a community member without an accessible text caption or transcript.

Further information

For more information on standards-compliant browsers, visit The Web Standards Project or the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). 

Adobe PDFs and non-HTML documents

Some documents on this site are not available as webpages, in particular many of our forms and maps. Instead they are published in non-HTML formats - such as Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word - that may not be accessible to everyone, particularly screen reader users.

We provide an accessible summary of all non-HTML documents, including the type and size of the file. This allows you to decide whether the document will be useful to you. You will also find contact details so you can request the document in another format.

If you are using a screen reader, we recommend you avoid downloading our document forms and simply call us instead. While we have converted many simple document forms into online forms, this is not technically possible for all forms.

Using PDF documents

To view or print PDF documents, you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat software installed. If you do not have the software, you can download it free from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Why we provide documents in PDF format

We acknowledge that PDF is not the most accessible format and are working to reduce the number of PDFs on this website.

We prioritise the creation of accessible content based on criteria including the size and specialist nature of the audience for the content, how time-consuming or technically difficult it is to create accessible versions and the likely lifespan of the content.

Instructions for external consultants to create accessible Word documents for Council

Consultants who provide Council with a document to be published online must follow these instructions to ensure the document is accessible to people with a disability.

How to change text size

Most fonts on this website use relative font sizing rather than fixed font sizing. This allows you to increase the text size within your browser to make reading pages easier.

To change the text size:

• In Internet Explorer, click the View menu, then select Text Size and choose larger or largest (the default is medium). Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel (if you have one), or hold down the Ctrl key and at the same time, push the - or + key.
• In Firefox, click the View menu, then select Zoom and then choose the whether you would like to increase the size (zoom in) or decrease the size (zoom out). Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key and at the same time, push the - or + key.
• In Google Chrome, click the Customise button (spanner icon), then select the plus or minus buttons to zoom. Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key and at the same time, push the - or + key.

How to change colour contrast

To improve your internet experience you are able to select a personalised colour contrast by following the steps below, depending on your chosen browser.

• For Windows computers, click Start, then Control Panel. Select the Accessibility Options icon, select the Display tab and select the Use High Contrast check box. Select the Settings button to browse different colour contrast options.
• In Internet Explorer, click Tools, then select Internet options. Under the appearance heading, select the Colours button. Deselect the ‘Use Windows colours’ checkbox and change the colour by selecting the colour swatch. Select Accessibility within the Internet Options window and select ‘Ignore colours specified on webpages’.
• In Firefox, there are browser specific colour contrast options.

How to remove images

To turn off images to enable faster internet speeds - or just because you prefer to view webpages without images - follow these quick and easy steps below depending on your chosen browser.

• In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, then select Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab, locate the Multimedia heading and deselect the ‘Show pictures’ checkbox.
• In Firefox, click Tools, then select Web Developer. Select Images, then ‘Disable images’ and click ‘All images’.
• In Google Chrome, click the Customise button (spanner icon), then select Options. Select the ‘Under the Hood’ tab, then content settings. Within the content settings screen select Image and then select the ‘Do not show any images radio’ button.

We have added a text description to each meaningful image on this website and/or tags. This will help screen readers and visitors who browse the internet with images turned off. 

Accessibility features

We have applied a number of accessibility features across the website including: 

Navigation

• A "Skip to content" link has been provided at the top of each page to enable users with screen readers to go directly to the content area of the page, bypassing the navigation.
• A text-only site map provides links to all the main areas and sub-areas of the site in a more accessible format. The sitemap is located on the bottom of the page or in the skiplink for screen readers.
• All navigation will still function without JavaScript. The JavaScript only enhances the experience for users with JavaScript turned on.

Links

• Almost all links are text-based. If an image is used for any link, it will be placed directly next to a text-based version of the same link, or techniques are used to keep the text within the code so they are still text-friendly for screen readers, text-based browsers and for those who browse with styles off (this includes mobile devices which may not render cascading style sheets).
• All link rollovers are high-contrast so they are easily distinguished from regular text and headlines that are not clickable.
• Link content text is contextual when possible (e.g. instead of ‘more’ or ‘click here’, the link may read ‘read more latest news’ or ‘see our events calendar’) to make navigation easier for screen readers and more usable for all website visitors. 

Online forms

All online forms are built with accessibility in mind, including:

• Use of the label tag. The label specifically associates a piece of text with a form field which benefits screen readers. Also, if text within a label is clicked, the associated form field is brought into focus which increases general usability.
• Form Validation. If a form is submitted incorrectly, the error message returned informs the user of missing information clearly and logically, without requiring JavaScript.

Printing options

Most content pages on our website are optimised for printing offline, and are specifically designed for hard copy and readability.

The navigation menus and other design elements will be removed, the text will wrap to the page margins, and the font face is updated ready for printing.

This will be supported in all browsers that accept print stylesheets and will help those who prefer to read articles offline and/or cannot read them on a computer monitor.

It may be necessary to enable the printing of background images in your print settings if you want to closely replicate the on-screen layout. However, web graphics are generally poorly suited to printing.

Older internet browsers

While we do our best to support users with older internet browsers, some of our online/electronic resources are enhanced by the use of modern standards-compliant browsers that have both JavaScript and cookies enabled.

There are now several great browsers to choose from apart from Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, many of which are designed to run on older PCs or Macs.

Running modern, standards-compliant browsers allows the user to access resources, materials and the World Wide Web as it was originally intended. Where possible, we develop support for web browsers according to W3C and WCAG.