Introduction
We are committed to a website that is accessible to all our users. We review the site regularly and amend pages that may cause problems for people with disabilities. We aim to meet or exceed the provisions of the W3C/WAI Level 'AA' checklist.
Plain English
All of our content is checked for plain English, and we aim to use a written style which is straightforward and understandable. Our website is approved by the Plain English campaign.
PDF's
The downloadable documents on this site are in Portable Document Format (often referred to as PDF).
How can I open and view a PDF document?
In order to view a PDF document, you need free software called Adobe Acrobat Reader, created by the company called Adobe. However PDFs are not easily accessible to all users so Adobe has developed a method of converting PDF documents into HTML (normal web pages), a more accessible format for assistive technologies.
How do I convert a PDF document into HTML?
The URL (the web address) of a PDF document will appear in the web browser address bar when it is selected.
Copy the url (normally looks like this: http://www.camden.gov.uk) and then visit Adobe's website page Online conversion tools for Adobe PDF documents.
Once you have clicked on the link above, you will see an online form created by Adobe. Simply paste the URL into the box you will see and the contents of the PDF will be automatically converted to HTML - an ordinary web page; and in that form it should then be accessible.
There are further features and capabilities of Adobe products that enhance electronic document accessibility for people with disabilities such as blindness, low vision, and motor impairments. You can visit their website using the link below, where you will find this information and links to resources that help people with disabilities work more effectively with Adobe software. http://access.adobe.com Adobe website, accessibility information
Jaws access of PDF
The RNIB has a very helpful page of advice on PDFs for users of Jaws screenreaders.
Text size
If you find the text size on this website too small or too large, you can change the size of the text with the buttons at the top left of every page, or via your Internet browser.
Internet Explorer 7
In your toolbar select "Page" followed by "Text size" and change to your preference.
Internet Explorer 7 also allows you to zoom the page as a whole. Select "Page" followed by "Zoom" and adjust to your preference, or use the keys "CTRL" and "+" (plus sign) or "-" (minus sign) at the same time.
"CTRL" and "0" (zero) will reset the zoom.
Internet Explorer 5.5, 6
In your toolbar select "View" followed by "Text size" and change to your preference.
Firefox
In your toolbar select "View" followed by "Text size" and change to your preference or press the keys "CTRL" and "+" (plus sign) or "-" (minus sign) at the same time.
"CTRL" and "0" (zero) will reset the text size.
Netscape
In your toolbar select "View" followed by "Text size" and change to your preference or press the keys "CTRL" and "+" (plus sign) or "-" (minus sign) at the same time.
"CTRL" and "0" (zero) will reset the text size.
Further information
Other accessibility options
Visit My Computer, My Way! - a guide to making your PC accessible
www.abilitynet.org.uk/myway/
Action for blind people - great resources on access technology
www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/
Assistive Technology
People who have visual impairments may be interested in the following assistive technology:
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Screen enlargers (or screen magnifiers) work like a magnifying glass. They enlarge a portion of the screen as the user moves the focusincreasing legibility for some users. Some screen enlargers allow a user to zoom in and out on a particular area of the screen.
- creen readers are software programs that present graphics and text as speech. A screen reader is used to verbalize, or "speak," everything on the screen including names and descriptions of control buttons, menus, text, and punctuation.
- Speech recognition systems, also called voice recognition programs, allow people to give commands and enter data using their voices rather than a mouse or keyboard.
- Speech synthesizers (often referred to as text-to-speech (TTS) systems) receive information going to the screen in the form of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and then "speak" it out loud. Using speech synthesizers allows blind users to review their input as they type.
- Refreshable Braille displays provide tactile output of information represented on the computer screen. The user reads the Braille letters with his or her fingers, and then, after a line is read, refreshes the display to read the next line.
- Braille embossers transfer computer generated text into embossed Braille output. Braille translation programs convert text scanned in or generated
- Talking word processors are software programs that use speech synthesizers to provide auditory feedback of what is typed.
- Large-print word processors allow the user to view everything in large text without added screen enlargement.
To find out more about these technologies and further information, please visit the website of the Royal National Institute of the Blind at www.rnib.org.uk.
Your thoughts
Tell us what you think
If you are a person with a disability and have trouble using our website - or if you experience difficulty using any of our services, products, or facilities - please tell us about the problem. Please email: Kathleen.Blake-Pink@Camden.gov.uk or call: 020 7974 6543