In the interests of helping to make the web accessible and usable by everyone, including people with physical, visual, or other impairments,accessibility features have been implemented on this site.

Design

This site uses cascading style sheets (CSS) for visual layout. All pages are built using structured markup so that if your browser or browsing device does not support style sheets (or you choose to turn them off), the content of each page is still readable. Very basic styles are implemented for Netscape 4 owing to its quirky interpretation of CSS.

This site uses relative font sizes so that you can adjust the size of the text if you find it too small or too large. Access this feature with the View > Text Size option on the menu bar at the top of the browser window.In Netscape 6+, Mozilla and Firefox browsers, you can also adjust text size by holding down the CTRL key and pressing the + and - keys. Windows users with a wheel mouse can adjust text size by holding the CTRL key and turning the wheel.

Navigation

Navigation is consistent throughout all pages of this site. Every page includes links to the Search form (access key 4).All pages include a "skip navigation" link to bypass the navigation bar.This enables users navigating with tab keys rather than a mouse to jump straight to the page content. (On visual browsers this link is invisible if your browser deals correctly with cascading style sheets.)

All links can be followed in any browser, even if scripting is turned off.

Web Standards

All pages on this site meet the Priority 1 requirements of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; many of the Priority 2 and 3 requirements are also met. Further accessibility modifications are under review.All style sheets validate to the W3C standard.

Accessibility

United Residents Housing is committed to making our website as accessible as possible. Features of this website that help make it accessible are described below.

United Residents Housing recognises that there is a lot more to do and is planning further accessibility developments which will be reported on this site.

What do we mean by accessibility?

The following are some of the reasons why some people may have difficulty using a website:

• A visual impairment, such as partial sight or colour blindness, will make it difficult to see a computer screen in the usual way.
• Motor impairments and other disabilities may make it difficult to use standard equipment, such as a mouse.
• Hearing impairments can be limiting on websites where sound is important.
• Movement on a screen and the amount of time things are visible may have an effect on anyone with epilepsy, dyslexia or other problems.

What features help make this site more accessible?

On the United Residents Housing site the following features help to make our site accessible:

Picture tags - Pictures carry labels describing pictures and graphic images on the pages.

Descriptive link names - Links that take you to another part of the page, to a new page or to another site are labelled to describe what kind of content they will connect to.

Recognised guidelines - This website is developed in line with key guidelines set by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and is continually updated to improve usability.

Browsealoud - You listen to this site aloud by downloading Browsealoud. This opens a page on the Browsealoud website. On that page click to download either PC Download or Mac Download, depending on which type of computer you have.

Text size
You can change the text size on this application to make it either larger or smaller via your browser settings. Some browsers will allow you to magnify the whole page. To change the text size, follow the instructions below:
Internet Explorer

• Click ‘View' to open the View menu or press ‘Alt' and ‘V'
• Select the ‘Text Size' option or select by pressing ‘X'
• Choose your preferred text size using your mouse or use the up and down arrow keys
• Click to select the text size or press 'Enter'
• The text size should change to reflect your choice

Firefox

• Click ‘View' to open the View menu
• Select the ‘Text Size' option
• Select ‘Increase' or ‘Decrease'
• The text on our site should change to reflect your choice

Safari

• Click ‘View' to open the View menu
• Click on ‘Make Text Bigger' or ‘Make Text Smaller' or to use the keyboard shortcuts select
• ‘Apple' and ‘+' (plus) or ‘Apple' and ‘-' (minus)
• The text size on our site should change to reflect your choice

Consistent page headings and titles
A consistent heading structure has been used so that page information is compatible with access technology.

Javascript
Where Javascript is used, we always provide a working alternative for those with Javascript turned off.

Adobe Accessibility
Accessibility standards on the W3C website - W3C is the World Wide Web Consortium. It "develops specifications, guidelines, software, and tools to lead the Web to its full potential." Their director is Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.

Screen resolution
This site is best viewed at 1024x768 pixel. You can change the resolution of your screen by:

1. Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel and double click on Display.
2. In the Display dialog box, click on the Settings tab, in the Screen Area section drag the pointer to the required resolution and click on Apply, then OK.
3. Click on Yes, and OK to accept the changes.

Colours
You can change the colour of the background and the text of the site.

• In Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the "Tools" menu and select "Internet Options". Click on the "Colours" button to set your preferred colours.
• In Mozilla Firefox, go to the "Tools" menu and select "Options". In the "General" section, select "Fonts & colours".
• In Netscape Navigator, go to the "Edit" menu and select "Preferences". In the "Appearance" section, select "Fonts/Colours".

You may also find the following websites useful:

Disability Rights Commission

Adobe Reader and online tools

A PDF reader is needed to view PDF files. A free Acrobat reader may be obtained from the Adobe website. For help to convert PDF files into HTML or ASCII text for improved accessibility, visit Adobe Online Conversion Tools.

General web accessibility guidance

Find out about PAS 78: A guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites. This standard was developed by the Disability Rights Commission and British Standards Institution to provide guidance to organisations in how to commission an accessible website from a design agency. It describes what is expected from websites to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), in order to make websites accessible to and usable by disabled people.