Accessibility

The PERSONA Consortium has done its best to make its site easily accessible to users of all platforms, browsers, resolutions, and Internet devices. This includes users who have disabilities, although, by developing the site to meet these guidelines we have ensured a much easier, user-friendly interface for all of our visitors. We have built this site to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as set out by the W3C. This resource will be continually updated as new accessibility techniques are developed.

No Text Only Version

We have taken a positive decision to not provide a text only version of this website. The Worldwide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guideline 11.4 strongly discourages the use of a text only alternative version, except as a last resort. A website designed to W3C standards (see below) is automatically available to as wide an audience as possible. Furthermore, many users suspect text only alternatives to be poorly maintained and out of date, seeing them as a "second class" version of the site. We prefer the inclusive approach of one version of the site, accessible to all.

Access keys

Most browsers support jumping to specific links by typing keys defined on a web site. Depending on the different navigators the more frecuently access keys are:

  • INTERNET EXPLORER 6: Alt + key + Enter
  • INTERNET EXPLORER 7: Alt + key (release both keys) + Enter
  • MOZILLA FIREFOX 1.0: Alt + key
  • MOZILLA FIREFOX 2.0 & 3.0: Alt + Shift + key
  • NETSCAPE: Alt + key
  • OPERA: Caps Lock + Esc + key

In order not to clash with key combinations used by both browsers and screen reading software, for which there is currently no universal standard, pages on this site define the following set of access keys:

  • Key S: Skip navigation
  • Key 0: Accesibility statement
  • Key 1: Home page
  • Key 2: Press Room
  • Key 3: Site map
  • Key 4: About
  • Key 5: Deliverables
  • Key 8: Disclaimer
  • Key 9: Contact Details

Navigation Aids

Pages on this site do not have an explicit tab order defined, but follow the layout of the page. Pressing the tab key will cycle through the following items: page banner, main navigation, top link bar, page content, footer.

Skip links are provided to skip to the page content. These links are hidden in the graphical versions using CSS styling.

Links

Links to other websites and PDF files open in the same browser window rather than opening a new window. Visitors wishing to open a new window can hold the SHIFT key (Windows) or Control key (Macintosh) while clicking on the link.

Images

All content images used in this site include descriptive ALT attributes. Purely decorative graphics are implemented as background graphics in the cascading style sheet.

Videos and Audios

All content videos used in this website include subtitles. All content videos and audios in this website content an additional text transcription.

Visual Design

  • This site uses cascading style sheets for visual layout
  • This site uses only relative font sizes. Visitors may use the text size or page zoom facility of their browser to change the size of the text.
  • If your browser or browsing device does not support stylesheets at all, the content of each page is still readable and is presented in the most sensible order.

Standards Compliance

  • All pages on this site are WCAG AA approved, complying wih all priority 1 and 2 guidelines of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We are working towards achieving AAA compliance.
  • All pages on this site validate as XHTML 1.0 Strict.
  • All pages on this site validate as CSS version 2.
  • All pages on this site use structured semantic markup. H1 tags are used for page titles, H2 tags for section titles. For example, on this page, JAWS users can skip to the next section within the accessibility statement by pressing ALT+INSERT+2.

More Information on Accessibility

Feedback

We have tested this website thoroughly and are always keen to improve our accessibility tools. We would like to know if you have found this website accessible or if you have had any problems. Please email the PERSONA Project with any queries or comments.