User accessibility preferences - Netscape and Mozilla.

For more information on user accessibility click here to visit the AbilityNet website. There you can find out how to alter the way websites look. For example, the colours may not be to your liking, or the text size a little too small for you to read with comfort. For step by step instructions on how to make web pages easier to read just follow the simple steps below.

Please select one of the following:

• Internet Explorer
• Netscape Navigator / Mozilla
• Opera

Changing the Size of the Text.

Follow these steps to increase or decrease the size of text on our site.

1. Open the View menu with the mouse or by pressing Alt+V.
2. Select the Text Zoom option with the mouse or by pressing Z.
3. Choose your preferred text size with the mouse or by using the up and down arrow keys and pressing Enter.

Some web sites have "hard-coded" the size of their text and as a consequence these web sites will not reflect the change you have just made. If you would like your preferences to be reflected on other sites you visit please follow these steps: (Please note: If you are using Netscape v7 then the following steps are not necessary.)

1. Open the Edit menu with the mouse or press Alt+E
2. Click on Preferences or press E to open the preferences dialog box.
3. Click on, or use the arrow keys, to select the Font heading underneath the Appearance category. If you cannot see the Font heading, you may need to expand the Appearance category. Do this by either double clicking on Appearance, or selecting Appearance with the arrow keys and pressing the right arrow key. (See fig 1)
4. Using the mouse, or the Tab key, navigate to the Minimum Font Size box on the right hand side. Click on the arrow and choose a new font size, or press the up arrow, choose a new font size and press Enter.
5. Now click OK or press Enter to return to the page you were viewing.

fig 1: Netscape Navigator Preferences dialog box

Changing the Style of the Text.

You may wish to impose a different text style than that chosen by us even though we have chosen a clear non-seriffed font which should be more easily read by those with a visual impairment or dyslexia than other font styles (such as, for example, Times New Roman). Many web sites you visit may not have text in a style you find easy to read. The following steps will also override the style they have chosen with that of your preferred choice.

1. Open the Edit menu with the mouse or by pressing Alt+E.
2. Click on Preferences or press E to open the preferences dialog box.
3. Click on, or use the arrow keys, to select the Font heading underneath the Appearance category. If you cannot see the Font heading, you may need to expand the Appearance category. Do this by either double clicking on Appearance, or selecting Appearance with the arrow keys and pressing the right arrow key. (See fig 1)
4. Using the mouse, or the Tab key, navigate to the box labeled"Allow documents to use other fonts" and press the space bar or use the mouse to ensure that this option is not checked.
5. Use the mouse, or the tab key, to navigate to the Proportional drop down box.
6. Press the up or down arrow keys and Enter to choose the font you wish to use, or use the mouse and click on your chosen font. A proportional font is one in which the letters are of varying widths, like this paragraph. You can either choose Serif or Sans Serif.
7. Once you have chosen the default proportional font, you can set the default size. Press Tab or use the mouse to click in the size box immediately after the proportional font. Press the up or down arrow keys and Enter, or use the mouse, to choose the font you want.
8. Tab once more, or use the mouse, to navigate to the Serif box. Press up or down, select the font you want to use and press Enter, or use the mouse to click on the font that you want to use (this will only be used if you selected Serif as the Proportional font in stage 5)
9. Tab once more, or use the mouse to navigate to the Sans Serif box. Press up or down, select the font you want to use and press Enter, or use the mouse to click on the font that you want to use (this will only be used if you selected Sans Serif as the proportional font)
10. Tab once more, or use the mouse to navigate to the Cursive box. Press up or down and then Enter to choose the font you wish to use, or use the mouse and click on your chosen font. This is used when someone has specified a cursive font on their page.
11. Tab once more, or use the mouse to navigate to the Fantasy box. Press up or down and then Enter to choose the font you wish to use, or use the mouse and click on your chosen font. This is used when someone has specified a Fantasy font on their page.
12. Tab once more, or use the mouse to navigate to the Monospace box. Press up or down and then Enter to choose the font you wish to use, or use the mouse and click on your chosen font. This is used when someone has specified a monospace font on their page.
13. Now click OK or press Enter to return to the page you were viewing.

Changing Settings of Text & Background Colours.

You may wish to impose a different combination of text and background colours than those chosen by us (although we have tried to retain a good contrast at all times. For example, some people with a visual impairment may prefer white text on a black background. Please follow these steps to change the colours on our site:

1. Open the Edit menu with mouse or press Alt+E
2. Click on preferences or press E
3. Click on, or use the arrow keys, to select the Colors heading underneath the Appearance category. If you cannot see the Colors heading, you may need to expand the Appearance category. Do this by either double clicking on Appearance, or selecting Appearance with the arrow keys and pressing the right arrow key. (see fig 2)
4. Choose to have your Windows colour scheme reflected by Tabbing to the Use System Colors option and pressing space to select it, or click it with the mouse.

Or.

1. Click on the Text or Background color option and choose an alternative color, or press Tab until the
2. Text or Background color box is highlighted, press the space bar, use the arrow keys to choose an alternative colour and press space to confirm this colour.
3. Press Enter to return to Netscape.

fig 2: Netscape Navigator Preferences dialog box

Some web sites have "hard-coded" their text and background colours and as a consequence these web sites will not reflect the changes you have just made. If you would like your preferences to be reflected on other sites you visit please follow these steps:

1. Open the Edit menu with the mouse or by pressing Alt+E
2. Click on, or use the arrow keys to select the Colors heading underneath the Appearance category. If you cannot see the Colors heading, you may need to expand the Appearance category. Do this by either double clicking on Appearance, or selecting Appearance with the arrow keys and pressing the right arrow key. (See fig 2)
3. Use the mouse or press Tab to select the "Use my chosen colours, ignoring the colours and background images specified" option and press space to select this option.
4. Press Enter to return to the page you were viewing.