This web site has been designed to be as accessible as possible and compatible with the types of adaptive technology used by people with special needs, including screen readers.

Here are some tips to make life easier for you when using our web site.

Navigation

To navigate through this web site, please use the top menu bar to choose a main section and then click on a sub-section within the second level navigation. The sub-section menu displayed on the left-hand side of the page lists all the pages that can be found within that area. We also have a site map if you cannot easily find what you are looking for.

Difficulty using a mouse

Most websites can be used without a traditional mouse. Links can be selected and clicked using the keyboard. If you find it difficult to use a mouse to navigate around a webpage, you can follow these steps as a substitute to using your mouse:

The Tab Key
Click on the TAB key on your keyboard.

This will move your cursor to each of the navigation links or options on the screen. When you have found the link you want, press ENTER on your keyboard.

Page up/down keys
You can also use the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys on your keyboard to move the page to the area you want to read.

Setting the screen resolution

Screen resolution, measured in pixels, refers to the resolution of the computer monitor. The screen area setting is an important factor in how much information your monitor can display.

This web site is designed for a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768. If your current setting is lower than 1024 x 768, the pages will not fit into your browser window without the need to use the scrollbars. If you would like to change your settings to the recommended resolution for optimum viewing of this website, follow the steps outlined below:

For Windows
Right-click your desktop. Choose 'Properties' (should be the last choice on the pop-up menu). Click the 'Settings' tab. Change the number on the slider bar (bottom left) from the current resolution to 1024 x 768. Select 'OK'.

For Macintosh OSX
Click the 'Apple' symbol in the top-left-hand menu on your desktop. Click 'System Preferences'. Click 'Displays'. In the pop-up window click 1024 x 768in the 'Resolutions' window. Your monitor will resize automatically.

For Macintosh OS9
Click the 'Apple' symbol in the top-left-hand menu on your desktop. In the drop-down menu, go to 'Control panels' and click 'Monitors'. In the pop-up window select screen size 1024 x 768. Your monitor will resize automatically

Adjust Text Size

To increase or decrease the size of text then depending on your choice of browser, please do the following:

Internet Explorer
Select 'View > Text Size' from the browser toolbar and then your preferred text size.

Mozilla Firefox
Hold down CTRL and press the + key to change the font size in this site to meet your requirements.  Alternatively select 'View > Increase Font' from the browser toolbar as many times as you find necessary for the text size you require.

Netscape
Select 'View > Increase Font' from the browser toolbar as many times as you find necessary for the text size you require.

Adjust Font Type

Internet Explorer
Select 'Tools > Internet Options > General > Fonts' from the browser toolbar and select your preferred style. Secondly select 'Accessibility' within 'Internet Options' and click on 'Ignore font styles and Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages' Then click 'OK'. You should now see a difference in font.

Netscape
Select 'Edit > Preferences > Appearance > Fonts' from the browser toolbar.  Choose 'Use my default fonts, overriding document-specified fonts'.

Adjust Colour of Text and Background

You may find specific colours enable you to view our web site easier.

Internet Explorer
Select 'Tools > Internet Options > Accessibility from the browser toolbar and click on 'Ignore colours specified on Web pages' Then click 'OK'.

Netscape
Select 'Edit > Preferences > Colours' and choose 'Always use my colours, overriding document', then choose your colours.

Hearing Impaired Visitors

Our site has been designed to allow Screen Readers to read our pages.

PDF documents
Some of our publications such as forms and leaflets are available to download in Portable Document Format (PDF).

To view PDF files, you can install a PDF document viewer. There are various types available, of which Acrobat is a well-known type. Adobe Acrobat Reader software is available to download and install on your computer free of charge from the Adobe website www.adobe.com/downloads.

PDF documents may not be readily accessible to screen readers and may not be formatted for visually impaired users. To convert PDF documents into plain text or plain HTML documents, you can use Adobe’s online conversion tool available at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html

The www.adobe.com website provides tools and information to help make Adobe PDF files accessible to users with visual disabilities.

If you come across a part of our site that is difficult to use, please tell us about it. We intend to keep improving our accessibility - so to help us do it, please send your comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it