Accessibilty

Devon County Council is committed to ensuring its website is accessible to all our customers. Our website has been designed with a number of accessibility features. The key features include:

• Resizable Text and altering Site Contrast (available from all pages)
• Alternative text
• Minimising the use of images
• Making content more accessible
• Plain English
• Help us to help you

We also provide assistance in the following areas

• Guidance for new internet users and information about cookies
• Finding information and services - scrolling, browsing and using the keyboard or mouse
• Using the search facility - using words, phrases, speech marks, commas and text case
• Assistance with Internet browsers/viewers, plug-ins and printing pages

Resizable Text and altering Site Contrast

We aim to provide the most accessible site in its default format, however we understand that we may not get it right for everyone therefore we will continually offer the option to increase the font size and change the site contrast. Text can be resized using the three ‘A’ buttons at the top of all pages. Contrast can be adjusted by selecting ‘Standard’ (the default) and ‘High Contrast’ from the top of all pages.

Alternative text for images

Images on our website have alternative text attributes, often known as alt text. This means that when an image is used on a web page to convey information its content is also described in the alt text. This means that the image can be understood by text browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers. Where possible we will not use images for simply decorative purposes however if an image is used for this purpose, the text attribute for the image is left empty in line with accepted best practice.

Minimising the use of images

Live text is used rather than graphics wherever possible to reduce page download time and to increase your control over text size.

Making content more accessible

In order to ensure a consistent user experience for visitors to the site we use what are known as cascading style sheets (CSS for short). Using CSS enables us to enforce a corporate look-and-feel to our website which ensures that a consistent font typeface, use of colour and optimum text sizes are presented to you.

Using CSS enables us to meet current legislative and industry standards on website accessibility.

Plain English

Wherever possible, we have written this website to be free of jargon, using simple, plain English. In trying to achieve these aims we contacted the Plain English Campaign and followed its guidelines. We try:

• To present information in a logical order and write clearly and simply using everyday words and short sentences
• Keep our webpage design simple, consistent and free of moving images

However, our website is developing all the time. Please let us know if you have any comments, good or bad, about our website or suggestions about how we can improve it by contacting us.

Help us to help you

We aim to meet the Priority A and selected AA guidelines of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. If you experience any difficulties in accessing our website, or have trouble using any aspect of the website, we'd like you to let us know. Contact us