Accessibility
Making boroughofpoole.com as accessible as possible is a priority for us. We have invested heavily to ensure that as many people as possible can us the site regardless of any web limiting condition that they may possess.
The aim is for any users who may have hearing impairmants, visual impairments, motor or cognitive disabilities, or a range of other disabilities to enjoy the same quality of website experience as those without disability. Below is a list of specific accessibility features that we have tried to incorporate.
Text Size
For visitors who wish to view the site in larger text size, clicking the corresponding text size within the Access Tools box located in the left hand column, will automatically reload the page to show your selected text format. There are three sizes of text available, with the smallest being the default setting. Larger sizes are easier to read for those with a visual impairment.
There is also a free magnification tool available through the Dixerit service that we use. Click on to our magnifier help page 
for further information.
Contrast
Visitors who wish to view the site with a different contrast setting can click on the appropriate coloured box in the Access Tools box. This will reload the page with your preferred contrast setting for increased visibility. Text and pictures become more discernable to those with visual impairments when presented in different colours on different backgrounds.
There is also a free contrast tool available through the Dixerit service that we use. Click on to our contrast help page for further information.
Viewing the website in a different language
The machine translation of any web page text (approximately 70% accurate) is possible by selecting 'translations' within the Access Tools box, and then simply clicking on the appropriate language. This will trigger the automatic reload of the website, complete with translated text.
Access keys
Access keys are a useful navigation device enabling you to get around the website using your keyboard. They can be used to jump to different sections of content across the website. View access keys on boroughofpoole.com.
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). CSS enable 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 cascading style sheets enables us to meet current legislative and industry standards on website accessibility
Help us to help you
We aim to meet the Priority A, AA, and selected AAA guidelines of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Our website is tested on a regular basis using a combination of automated tools to identify potential problem areas and manual testing to ensure we meet the spirit as well as the letter of the W3C's accessibility guidelines.
Inevitably, we won't always get it right, and with over 8,000 pages of content we are bound to miss some problems, but we are committed to addressing any access issues promptly. And that's where we'd like your help. 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. E-mail the webteam and let us know your experience.
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