Tips for enhancing the accessibility of this website

This page explains accessibility features available on the website and ways you can change your view of the site, including:

  • Navigation using a screenreader
  • Change the size of the text
  • Flexible page layout
  • Print friendly page layout
  • Search and search options
  • Help with downloading documents and files

Navigation using a screenreader

If you have trouble reading online, learn how to make your computer speak back to you.

BrowseAloud

Windows Narrator

Macintosh VoiceOver Utility

Linux Orca Utility

BrowseAloud

PHIDU is a speech-enabled website that uses BrowseAloud, free software for people who have difficulty reading online. This includes people with mild visual impairment, people who speak English or French as a second language, or people with dyslexia or learning disabilities.

  1. Follow the simple steps to download and install BrowseAloud.
  2. Once installed, as your mouse pointer moves over the words on a web page, they are spoken out loud. For most browsers, you can also choose to have the text highlighted as it is read. Or, you can ask BrowseAloud to read a complete page to you. To stop the reader at any point, just press the Ctrl key on the keyboard.
  3. For detailed instructions, visit the BrowseAloud website.

Windows Narrator

Windows Narrator is a basic screen-reading program. The program gives speech feedback for menus and dialogue boxes. It does not speak out the whole web page.

  1. Click the Start button or press the Windows logo key on your keyboard.
  2. Open Programs. Click All Programs or press P on the keyboard until All Programs is highlighted and press Enter.
  3. Click Accessories or press A on the keyboard until Accessories is highlighted and press Enter.
  4. Click Accessibility. If you are using the keyboard, it will already be highlighted, press Enter.
  5. Click Narrator or press N on the keyboard until Narrator is highlighted, press Enter.
  6. This opens the Microsoft Narrator box. The Narrator immediately begins to read instructions on how to use the feature.
  7. Click OK or press Enter on the keyboard. Another window will appear with various options. Click the checkbox or press the spacebar on your keyboard to customize your options. You can also adjust voice settings by clicking the Voice button or pressing V on the keyboard.

Macintosh VoiceOver Utility

VoiceOver Utility is a screen-reading program built into the latest versions (OS 10.4 and 10.5) of Apple Macintosh Operating Systems. It provides speech feedback for menus and dialogue boxes and can speak out whole web pages once configured.

  1. Visit the VoiceOver website for more information about VoiceOver utility
  2. Visit the VoiceOver download section for an accessible PDF manual or audio recordings of the “Getting Started” manual for VoiceOver Utility.

  3. Linux Orca Utility

  4. Orca is a screen-reading program which is now a part of the Gnome Platform (Gnome 2.16). It provides speech feedback for menus and dialogue boxes and can speak out whole web pages once configured.

  5. Visit the Orca website for more information about Orca.

Change the size of the text

To change the size of the text, change the text display settings in your web browser.  

In Windows this is done in different browsers by:

  • in Internet Explorer go to the View menu and select the Text size option, then the size you prefer.
  • in Firefox 1.5 / 2 open the View menu with the mouse or by selecting Alt and V at the same time. Select the Text Size option with the mouse or select Z. Increase or decrease the text size with the mouse or by using the up and down arrow keys and selecting Enter.
  • in Firefox versions earlier than 1.5 open the View menu with the mouse or by selecting Alt and V at the same time. Select the Text Size option with the mouse or by selecting S twice. Increase or decrease the text size with the mouse or by using the up and down arrow keys and selecting Enter.
  • In Netscape click on the View menu with the mouse or select Alt + V. Click on the Text Zoom option with the mouse or select Z. Click on the text size you want with the mouse or use the up and down keys and then Enter to select the text size you want.
  • In Opera press + (in some versions you might need to select the Shift key as well) to increase size and the - (minus) to decrease text size. Each click will increase or decrease the size by 10%. Alternatively select Alt + V to bring up the view menu and then select Z to bring up the zoom options then use the up and down arrow keys to select the option you want followed by Enter.

In Mac this is done in different browsers by:

  • in Firefox, Internet Explorer or Netscape 7 select Apple and + (plus) to increase the text size and Apple and - (minus) to decrease the text size
  • in Opera for OS 8 and 9, select Apple + Y. Click on Fonts and colors or use the down arrow to select it. Click in the box next to Minimum font size (pixels) or use Tab until the box is highlighted and enter a minimum font size
  • in Opera 8 / 9 for OS X select Apple + , (comma). Click on the Web pages tab or select Alt + Tab until the Web pages tab is selected. Click on the Page Zoom option box and select your zoom size or use the Tab key twice to select the page zoom option box and use the up and down arrow keys to select your zoom size.
  • in Safari click on the View menu with the mouse. Click on Make Text Bigger or Make Text Smaller to change the font size

In Linux this is done in different browsers by:

  • in Firefox open the View menu with the mouse or by selecting Alt + V. Click Text Size. Click on Increase or Decrease to change the text size or use the right arrow to expand the Text Size menu options and use the up and down arrow to select Increase or Decrease and then select Enter
  • in Konqueror select Ctrl and + (plus) to increase the text size and select Ctrl + - (minus) to decrease the text size
  • in Opera 8 / 9 select Shift and + to increase size and Shift + - to decrease text size. Each time you repeat this will increase or decrease the size by 10%.
  • in Opera 6 / 7 click on the File menu or select Alt + F. Click on the Preferences option or select R. Select Page Style. Click on the box under Default Zoom and when the list pops up click on the font size you want or select Alt + Z and use the up and down arrows to select the font size you want

More accessibility help information can be found at the BBC My Web My Way website.

Flexible page layout

Our web site has a flexible page layout. The central text column stretches to fit as you resize your browser window. This allows you to adjust the text line length for easier reading at whatever text size you have chosen.

Print friendly layout

Every page is set up to print out a print-friendly format - simply use the print function in your browser and the page will be delivered with correct formatting and without unhelpful page items such as the navigation.

Search and search options

You can search the web site by typing one or more keywords into the search input box at the top right of any web page. This search option has been customised to operate without javascript if required. Users without javascript operational on their browser need to select the arrow function to start their search.

If your search returns too many results you can use the Advanced Search option to refine your search.

Help with downloading documents and files

There are many documents and media files for download on the website. Here are a few tips about accessing those resources.

Help with accessing PDF files

To read PDF documents you need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Commonly this is already on your computer, installed with your web browser. But if you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can download it for free from adobe.com.

Downloading documents

You can download documents and open them to read in your web browser or save them to your computer to read offline.

To read a downloadable document in your web browser simply click the link to the document.

To save a downloadable document right-click on the download (PC) or shift + click (Mac) and select the Save link or Save target option.