Website accessibility statement
What is an accessible website? | Listen to our website | Change text size | Access & inclusion | Interactive mapping
Salford City Council recognises and values the provision of information on this website in a format which is accessible to all, regardless of ability or disability.
This website was named Accessibility in Focus winner - Charitable organisation.
The citation for www.salford.gov.uk said:
"Salford City Council have created a simple, accessible and usable website making surfing their site a breeze."
To ensure that this happens, we have programmed our website following web standards and accessibility guidelines. The site is developed using valid XHTML and cascading style sheets (CSS). Our site content is separated from presentational elements, which makes it available to any visitors that use technologies such as a screen reader or text only browser.
You may confirm the validity of our XHTML and CSS using these links:
We try to maintain WAI Level AA accessibility
The Government requires that all public sector web sites - whether for central or local government - should meet the W3C's guidelines on accessibility to WAI Level AA standard.
We strive to achieve and maintain levels of accessibility that conform to the AA standard, but recognise that it is very hard for a 20,000+ page website to maintain such compliance. We choose not to shout about our compliance since it is difficult to be certain that 100% compliance is being maintained!
Through further development of our web services we strive to improve our compliance and aim to meet as many of the WAI Level AAA guidelines as are achievable.
What is an accessible website?
An accessible site is one that accommodates the full range of users. Designing for accessibility therefore means accepting that, for online information, there is:
- no standard information user, and,
- no standard device for browsing information
An accessible web site does not exclude anybody due to:
- their abilities, or
- the method they choose to access the web
Accessible websites prioritise clear content, structure and ease of navigation over frilly aspects of design, however they also need not be visually unattractive, nor are they prevented from using the latest web technologies, provided that all information is still accessible to users.
You can use the icons at the top of every web page to change the size of the text that appears on this website.
The icon above changes the page to a large text size and high visibility colour scheme.
You may also use your browser settings to change the text size for all the web sites that you visit. The technique for doing this is slightly different depending on the browser that you use:
- Internet Explorer 7: Select the 'Page' menu, then one of the options under 'Text Size'. The default setting is Medium
- Internet Explorer 6: Select the 'View' menu, and select one of the options under 'Text Size'.
- Mozilla Firefox: Select the 'View' menu, then 'Text Size', then select Increase, Decrease or Normal.
- Opera: Select the 'View' menu, then one of the 'Zoom' percentage options.
- Netscape: Select the 'View' menu, then one of the 'Text Zoom' options.
Other browsers may also have similar options available. Please consult the documentation provided with your browser if similar options to the ones above aren't available.
This website is speech enabled for those who have difficulties reading web pages. Click on the 'Browsealoud' logo to download free software.
The web: access and inclusion for disabled people
Most of the leading websites around the world are failing to provide the most basic accessibility standards for people with disabilities. 97% of websites did not provide even minimum levels of accessibility, a survey in December 2006 found.
Accessibility agency Nomensa tested the leading websites in five different sectors across 20 countries. Only three websites, including the British Prime Minister's site, achieved the minimum standards. The report was commissioned by the United Nations as part of its International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December).
Salford City Council strives to meet the needs of computer users with visual impairment or other conditions that limit accessibility. Due to the graphically intensive nature of our interactive mapping application, this geographic information can not be currently presented in a fully accessible format. If you would like assistance with this please email paul.coward@salford.gov.uk.
This page was last updated on 31 January 2008
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