Accessibility
Accessibility
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. A common setting is 800 by 600 pixels. By increasing the number of pixels your monitor displays, you can view more on your screen regardless of its actual dimension.
The Citizens Advice website has been designed to work well on a screen resolution of 800 by 600 pixels. This means you should not have to scroll from side to side, but you may have to scroll down or up depending on the length of a page.
If you wish to change your screen resolution follow the instructions below, appropriate to your computer system.
Instructions for Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP
Select the Start button (bottom left corner of screen)
From the Settings menu, select Control Panel
If you are using Windows XP, select Switch to Classic View in the left hand pane
Open the Display section by either double-clicking on the Display icon or by highlighting the icon and pressing the Return/Enter key
Select the Settings tab
Move the screen area slider to the right until it reads 1024 by 768 or larger. If this resolution is not available on the computer you are using, choose 800 by 600. [Note that you will need to scroll more on web pages when using this lower resolution]
Select OK to save changes
After the screen resizes, select OK button again to confirm the new screen size
Or
Minimize all open windows
Right click anywhere on the desktop as long as it is not on an icon
Select Properties from the pop-up menu
From the window that appears select the Settings tab
Move the screen area slider to the right until it reads 1024 by 768 or larger. If this resolution is not available on the computer you are using, choose 800 by 600. [Note that you will need to scroll more on web pages when using this lower resolution]
Select OK to save changes
After the screen resizes, select OK button again to confirm the new screen size
Changing colours, fonts and text size in your browser
You can change features on your browser and control the way in which web pages appear. This is particularly useful if you have low vision, need larger fonts, or need high-contrast or different colours from the ones set. Using options available in your browser, you can change:
- the size, style and colour of fonts
- the background colours of web pages
- the colour used to indicate hyperlinks, active web links and visited web links
Select Start (bottom left corner of screen)
Select Settings, and then Control Panel
If you are using Windows XP, select Switch to Classic View in the left pane
Open the Display section either by double left clicking on the icon, or by highlighting the icon and pressing the Return/Enter key
Select Appearance tab to see the options available in this section
Then either
Select the arrow in the Colour scheme box to display the colour scheme options available
Scroll down the list to see each one previewed above and, when you find one that is suitable, press Enter to select it. (Some of these colour schemes have large font versions)
Or
Select the arrow in the Item box to display all the objects whose colour you can change
Select the item that you want to change, then open up the colour options by selecting the Colour button. (Selecting Other inside the Colour box will give you the full range of colours available on the system)
Choose the colour you want for that item
Repeat this for every item whose colour you want to change, then select OK to save you’re the changes to your system
Mouse Settings
You can change three settings of the mouse settings. To start:
Select the Start button in the bottom left corner of the screen
Select Settings, and then Control Panel
If you are using Windows XP, select Switch to Classic View in the left pane
Open the Mouse section either by double left clicking on the icon, or by highlighting the icon and pressing Enter/Return key
To change the click speed, and whether for right or left-handed use:
Select the Buttons tab
Select right- or left-handed
Select single or double click for opening items
Move the slider along to choose the speed for double-clicking
Select Apply to save your changes
To change the visibility and size of the mouse ‘pointers’:
Select the Pointers tab
Choose the scheme of pointers from the drop-down menu (previewed in the box to the right)
Select Apply to save your changes
To change the motion of the mouse:
Select the Motion tab
Move the slider along to choose the speed you want for the mouse
Select the acceleration that you prefer
Select Apply to save your changes.
Useful Links
http://www.w3.org/WAI/ Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) creates web standards for making web pages accessible to all
http://www.w3.org/WAI/ Provides details about the Microsoft accessibility wizard and how to use it
