Accessibility

 

Site Design

This website was designed by Luke Donoghue then a Year 10 student as part of his work experience week in June 2008. Macromedia Dreamweaver was used to constuct the site.

 

Website Update Frequency

This website is updated between 8 and 10 times a year.

 

Internet Browsers

This website is regularly tested on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 using the following internet browsers. Each browser represents the web pages slightly differently.

We hope that the text and style is readable to all our users. We have selected Arial size 12 equivalent font as this appears to be most suitable for most people. If you are having difficulty in this area the following suggestions may be of use to you.

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8

To change the web text size - click the Page button, click Text Size, and then click the size you want.

To zoom a webpage - on the bottom right of the Internet Explorer screen, click the arrow to the right of the Change Zoom Level button.
Do one of the following: to go to a predefined zoom level, click the percentage of enlargement or reduction you want. or to specify a custom level, click Custom. In the Percentage zoom box, type a zoom value, and then click OK.

Google Crome version 5

To change the web text size

  1. Click the Page page menu menu.
  2. Select Zoom.
  3. Select Larger or Smaller as necessary. To see the webpage in its original layout, select Normal

Apple Safari version 4

To change the web text size - choose Page menu > Zoom Text Only. (The Page menu is near the upper-right corner of the Safari window, and looks like a page with a corner turned down.)

To a webpage - choose Page menu > Zoom In.

In June 2010 I was made aware of a problem which may affect some Apple Safari users obtaining the most current version of a website. It does not appear to affect 'dynamic' sites but sites such as this where the pages are 'static', that is where the contents of a page do not change while you are viewing them. Enter the search request 'clear the cache in safari' in your browser and follow the advice provided.

 

Using Text to Speech Software

There are a number of free-to-use text to speech software tools and browser bar add-ons which can be downloaded and installed to convert the written word into audio output. A number of these products can record output as MP3 files to be transfered to portable devices.

I am currently using NaturalReader from www.naturalreaders.com/. It appears to function well, the floating bar is very handy. I have no expertise in this area so please explore all the possibilities, including those with a price, before selecting the product most appropriate for your needs.

 

Access Keys

You can use the following Access keys to navigate around our site:

Mudlarks
Access Key

UK Recommended Standard Access Key

Mudlarks Page
 
S
  
 
1
 Home page
 
2
  
 
3
 Site map
 
4
  
 
5
  
 
6
  
 
7
  
 
8
  
 
9
  
 
0
 Access key details
a
  Help Us (Assistance)
c
  Contact
h
   History
i
  Info
m
   Map
p
   People
o
   Aims (Objectives)
t
   Tour
u
  About Us
v
  Plants (Vegetation)

Use of standard access key mappings

As of 2004, a standard emerged using numbers, which promotes consistency and enables users more easily to predict keyboard shortcuts on different sites. These include, for example, 1 to go to the homepage, 4 for search, 9 for contact, and others. This scheme is now is use on popular sites such as ft.com and bbc.co.uk , as well as being built into popular message board software such as vBulletin and ultimatebb.

Listed below is the recommended UK Government accesskeys standard:

  • S - Skip navigation
  • 1 - Home page
  • 2 - What's new
  • 3 - Site map
  • 4 - Search
    5 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • 6 - Help
  • 7 - Complaints procedure
  • 8 - Terms and conditions
  • 9 - Feedback form
  • 0 - Access key details

Access in Different Browsers - source

In most web browsers, the user invokes the access key by pressing Alt (on PC) or Ctrl (on Mac) simultaneously with the appropriate character on the keyboard.

Web Browser Modifier Effect Notes
Amaya

Ctrl or Alt

 

 Adjustable in preferences
Blazer Element is activated immediately upon key press. No modifier is needed for this web browser used on mobile devices.
Camino

Ctrl

 
Google Chrome 3 and higher Alt on Windows

Ctrl + ⌥ Opt on Mac


 Access Keys were not functional in 2.x builds of Chrome, but are now supported in current versions.
Firefox 2 & 3 Alt + ⇧ Shift on Windows

Ctrl on Mac[2]

 

 Prior to version 2.0 Firefox used just Alt;
configurable via about:config
Internet Explorer

Alt

 

 Prior to IE8, Alt + Access Key focused on the element, but required ↵ Enter to be pressed in order to activate the element
Konqueror

Ctrl

 

 The modifier key must be released before the regular key is pressed.
Opera ⇧ Shift+Esc The modifier key must be released before the regular key is pressed. Once the modifier key is released, browser lists the set of access keys on that page with action and user can hit the desired key. Configurable via Graphical user interface
Safari 3 Ctrl for Mac

Alt for Windows

 
Safari 4 and higher Ctrl+⌥ Opt on Mac

Alt on Windows

 

 

Please note: This table is not exhaustive. Your browser may or may not support Access keys.

For more information on the many ways you can change your browser, computer, keyboard and mouse settings to make the web more accessible, please refer to www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility.

Updated 14 September 2010