Accessibility

Accessibility and usability statement

ALGA is committed to ensuring universal access to its web site and online services, consistent with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and recognised usability principles for ease of use. From 2005 all new and updated content will conform with W3C WCAG Level AAA and existing content will be progresively upgraded to the same high level of accessibility. Our focus is on keeping it simple, so that people can quickly find and use the information they require. To help us in this task, we would value your comments and feedback on how usable and accessible you find this web site.

Contents

Keyboard access and shortcuts

ALGA's web site supports keyboard interaction as well as other input devices such as speech. Keyboard shortcuts include:

Content link

A 'content' link is located in the top left corner of every page. This link will skip all the header images, primary navigation, breadcrumb (you are here) links and any section navigation, taking the user directly to the start of the main content.

Access keys

The following shortcut keys can be used on ALGAs web site for quick access to frequently used links:

  • Access key 1 - Home
  • Access key 2 - Search
  • Access key 3 - Site map
  • Access key 4 - Contact
  • Access key 5 - Newsroom
  • Access key 8 - Content (jumps to start of main content)
  • Access key 9 - Top of page
  • Access key 0 - Accessibility information

Browser support for access keys is growing, and is currently available in Internet Explorer (IE) 5.5+, Netscape 6+, and Mozilla. Instructions for using access keys vary depending on the operating system and browser in use.

For a Windows operating system
hold down the ALT key plus the relevant access key number or letter eg ALT + 1 to go to ALGA's home page.
For a Mac operating system
hold down the CONTROL key plus the relevant access key number or letter eg CONTROL + 1 to go to ALGA's home page.
Browser variations
Some browsers will also automatically activate the related link while others, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, give focus to the link element only and require the user to hit the Enter key to activate the link.
Tabbing

The default tabbing order of links has been reordered to make access to primary content links more efficient. The revised order is:

  1. content
  2. search box
  3. site map
  4. accessibility
  5. page content
  6. top
  7. next page
  8. previous page
  9. section naviagtion
  10. site navigation
  11. breadcrumb trail (pathway)
  12. footer

Changing text size

Some users might find the site easier to read by increasing the size at which text is displayed. To do this you can adjust your browser's settings by going to the Tools menu, then select "text size" or "text zoom" or "zoom" and increase the size of the text.

Microsoft Internet Explorer
Hold Alt + V
Then press X followed by Return
Netscape
Hold Alt + V
Then press Z followed by 0 (zero) (or replace the 0 with 2 for extra large text)
Opera
Hold Alt + V
Then press Z followed by 0 (zero). Opera also allows you to press the + and - on the keypad to increase and decrease the size respectively.

Changing browser colours

Changing the site's background colour can be particularly useful for users who rely on magnification technology as white can produce an uncomfortable glare. It is also possible to change the colour of body text on the site. Both can be achieved by changing preferences in your browser:

Microsoft Internet Explorer
Go to the Tools menu, select Internet Options, select Accessibility, and put a tick in the box next to "Ignore colours specified on web pages", then select OK. Now go to Colours, select Colours and make changes to text and background colours in the Colours panel.
Netscape Navigator
Go to the Edit menu, select Preferences, open the Appearance menu and select Colours. You can set the colour of text and background from here.
Opera
Go to the File menu, select Preferences, open the 'page style' (under fonts and colours). Ensure 'user mode' options use own settings (default settings). Now go into fonts and colours and you can change the colour options. Select 'View' then select 'Style' then select 'user mode'.

Technical information and customisation

ALGA's site has been coded using semantic HTML markup, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and server side scripting. Font sizes are relative and will appear larger or smaller depending on the user's personal preferences. These preferences can be adjusted on the user's computer by changing the browser accessibility options or using a personal style sheet.

Groups of related links, such as the main navigation, section navigation have been marked up using the HTML 'map' element. While this is not well supported by the main browsers it is available to users who can benefit from this feature.

File formats

Where more than one file format is available, the most universal formats are given first (eg RTF followed by PDF).

At present many of the downloadable publications on our web site are only available in PDF format. This will be changing in the near future, with a choice of formats being provided. In the meantime, please contact us if you are experiencing difficulty accessing information.

Page layout and navigation

A consistent page structure is maintained across all content on ALGA's web site. Each page is formatted using a standard design template that divides information into logical blocks of content. The sequential flow of information from top of page is:

  1. Skip links provide quick access to important parts of the site, such as jumping directly to the main content on the current page, search box, site map and accessibility tips
  2. Banner includes logo/branding for ALGA web site and a link to ALGA's primary sponsor, Optus
  3. Global navigation links to the main top level areas on the web site
  4. "You are here" links provide orientation to your current location within the site structure via the most direct path from ALGA's home page
  5. Section navigation includes links to other related pages in the same section (if available). Visually the appear as buttons on the right side of the main content.
  6. Main content usually begin with H3
  7. In page navigation includes a return link to top of page and next/back (if relevant)
  8. Footer with AlGA's address and email contacts for general enquiries and web site feedback, copyright and date page was last modified
 
Page last updated: 17 June 2007