Audit Scotland accessibility statement
Audit Scotland believes that everyone should be able to access its website regardless of any impairments or technical constraints.
As well as being intuitive and easy to use, the Audit Scotland website combines aesthetic value with practicality. This user-focussed design combines these requirements into one website solution to satisfy all of its users. Some of the measures we have taken to ensure that this website is accessible are detailed briefly below.
Shaw Trust 'Accessible plus' accreditation
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Shaw Trust is a national charity that provides training and work opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market due to disability, ill health or other social circumstances. We have achieved 'Accessible Plus' accreditation since August 2008 as recognition of the high level of accessibility built into our website. We will strive to maintain this standard in the years to come. View our current Shaw Trust Accessibility Certificate.Opens in new window
Text on this website can be read aloud
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Browsealoud reads web pages aloud for people who find it difficult to read online. Reading large amounts of text on screen can be difficult for those with literacy and visual impairments. There is also value for those with English as a second language.
To use Browsealoud you need to download and install the software-this link will open in a new window, when it is running simply move the mouse over some text on a web page and it is read out, no clicking or selecting of text is required.
The Browsealoud video tour -this link will open in a new window will give you more information on how to use this product.
Access keys
We have included the UK Government's standard access keys to enable you to navigate the main website sections using the keyboard.
For Windows-based PCs, press the 'Alt' key and one of the numbers below, then press the 'Return' key. For Apple Macs, press the 'Ctrl' key and one of the numbers below.
Supported keys
S - Skip navigation
1 - Home page
2 - About us
3 - Site map
4 - Publications
5 - Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
6 - Media centre
7 - Complaints procedure
8 - Terms and conditions
9 - Contact us
0 - Site map
Standards compliance
Where possible, all pages within the site comply with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Priority Level 1 and 2 guidelines.
Many Priority Level 3 guidelines have also been followed in the creation of this web site, and we intend to improve upon this in the future.
Forms
All forms have been made accessible using labels that are explicitly associated with the text boxes, radio buttons and checkboxes that make up these forms.
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Text
Use of text
Where possible, and without compromising design, text has been used instead of images on this website. Navigation, page titles and subtitles, links and other elements have all been created using accessible html text.
Text Size
To allow full user control over how text appears on screen, this site has been created using relative text sizes. Follow the instructions below to resize the text in your browser or use the resizing tool at the top of each page..
If you are using Internet Explorer
Click Tools > Internet Options > Accessibility. Check the 'ignore font sizes specified by Web pages' box. More detailed information is available on Microsoft's web site.
If you are using Firefox
Click Edit > Preferences > Appearance > Fonts. Change size (pixels) to preferred settings
Older versions of Netscape may not allow you to override this web site's font size settings. A solution could be to upgrade to a more recent version of the Netscape browser.
If you are using Opera
Click File > Preferences > Fonts & Colors. Change minimum font sizes as desired. If you are using other browsers, or cannot change font sizes, please view help information that is provided. This can usually be found within the browser software itself.
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Contrast and colour
Contrast
The site has been tested to ensure that pages provide sufficient contrast when viewed by users with colour blindness or when viewed on a black and white screen.
Colour
No information is conveyed through colour alone.
Abbreviations and acronyms
All abbreviations or acronyms have been identified with either an <ABBR> or <ACRONYM> HTML tag. They are displayed as a dotted underline and by placing the cursor over it, a tooltip appears explaining the corresponding definition.
Link context
Some browsers for example JAWS, Lynx and Opera can extract the list of links on a page and allow the user to browse the list separately. For this reason, wherever possible, links are written to make sense out of context.
Images
Alt text
All content images include descriptive ALT text attributes. Structural graphics have been given null ALT text attributes.
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Alternative formats
If you require an Audit Scotland publication in an alternative format and/or language, please contact us to discuss your needs. Publications are also available in computer format, as PDF and RTF documents, from our website.
Podcasts
Since Spring 2006 we have been producing sound files to accompany most reports which take the form of a short questions and answers session. We have also begun providing transcripts for these for the benefit of hearing impaired users. As well as aiding accessibilty, these podcasts are intended to provide an introduction, in clear, plain language, to the content of our reports so that people can approach the main body of our work with greater confidence. These files are in MP3 format and can be played on any standard media player.
Printer friendly versions
We have just started producing black and white versions of our reports so that if they are printed and then photocopied, any loss of quality is minimised.
Further information
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
International standards organisation, part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
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