About accessibility.
Web accessibility is the practice of making web sites equally accessible to all users.
Accessibility issues.
These are the major issues that we have identified, and our opinion of how well we have tackled them so far. Your opinion is more valuable — please don't keep it to yourself.
- Visual.
- Blind users: we believe that all the pages on this site can be navigated effectively by people who use screen readers and similar software (most blind people listen to web pages). This claim is based solely on conformance with the formulaic guidelines of the Web Accessibility Initiative, not as a result of user feedback and testing (the only way to be certain). If you are a blind person and this site does not meet your expectations, please contact us and tell us what we need to do.
- Other visual impairment: the visual design of this site is based on several months' observation of, and feedback from, Hackney Silver Surfers with sub-optimal vision. We think we have got it right. If we are wrong, please tell us, so we can fix it.
- This site is speech-enabled: more information on this page under Readspeaker.
- Dyslexia. We have tried to adapt the the visual design of this site to minimise the problems faced by older dyslexic learners. It is also speech-enabled with Readspeaker. If there is anything we have overlooked, please let us know.
- Auditory. There are no sound files on this website, so this is not an issue right now.
- Locomotor. We believe that we have done everything we can to avoid inconveniencing people who do not use conventional keyboards and pointing devices. Please tell us if there is anything else we need to do.
- Language. More than 100 languages are spoken in Hackney. Ten of them are important enough to be designated "community languages". Unfortunately, at present we are able to offer only English-language pages, but we hope that will change eventually. Core information about us is available in the other 10 languages, but only as PDF format files for download from the community languages page.
Readspeaker.
Most of the pages on this web site are speech-enabled with Readspeaker SayIT — an accessibility tool for people with impaired vision, dyslexia, and others who have difficulty reading from a screen. Pages with Readspeaker have two buttons (usually in the top right corner) labelled 'Listen' and 'Stop'. Click on 'Listen' to have the page text read to you (there may be a delay of a few seconds while the speech file is being prepared and downloaded). Click on 'Stop' to interrupt.
Your computer.
If you would like to know more about how to make your computer easier to use, for example by adjusting default settings of your computer, keyboard, mouse, screen, browser or other software, we suggest you visit AbilityNet's My Computer, My Way! page.
If you are an older person who needs assistive computer technology, don't forget that we have a good range of devices (including alternative keyboards, trackballs, touch screens, and reading tools) that you can use at our centres. Please contact us if you think we might be able to help you.
