Accessibility
The College of Social Work: Accessibility
The College of Social Work is committed to making our website content accessible to all users, regardless of physical, economic or technological circumstances. If you have any problems accessing the content of this site please check our help pages using the links above or contact the web team (email: webteam@scie.org.uk).
Help using the site
How do I make the text bigger so that it is easier for me to read?
- Using Internet Explorer, go to View > Text Size > and select the size you want
- Using Firefox 2, go to View > Text Size > and select Increase
- Using Firefox 3, go to View > Zoom > and select Zoom Text Only then, go back to View > Zoom > you should see a tick next to Zoom Text only and select Zoom In
- Using Safari (PC), go to View > and select Zoom In
- Using Netscape, go to View > Text Zoom > and select the size you want
How do I change colours so that the contrast is better for me?
To change the colour of the text and background your browser displays you need to find the Colours option dialogue box.
- Using Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Colours then uncheck Use Windows olours and select the colours you prefer.
- Using Firefox 2 and 3, go to Tools > Options > Content >, click on the Colours button then uncheck Use system colours and select the colours you prefer.
- Using Netscape, go to Edit > Preferences > Colours and select Use my chosen colours
How do I move around the site without using a mouse?
You can use the Tab key to move between links and between sections of a form. Holding down the Shift key and pressing Tab will move you back up the page. You can use the Return key to follow a link or to select an option in a form. The Up and Down keys allow you to select options from drop-down menus.
You can also use access keys (see below) to move around this site without a mouse.
How do I use access keys?
Access keys allow you to navigate around the site without using a mouse.
Press the appropriate combination (listed here) and the access key letter listed below to go to the link..
Main menu
| Access key |
Function |
| h |
Home |
| b |
About us |
| d |
Development Group |
| c |
Consultation |
| f |
Frequently asked questions |
| m |
Media centre |
| o |
Opportunities |
| u |
Contcat Us |
| a |
Accessibility |
| t |
Terms and conditions |
Access keys for different PC/Mac and Browsers
Depending on the browser and hardware device you are using, access keys will work differently. The following are the different ways to use the access key function combinations broken by PC or MAC and then browser type.
| OS |
Browser |
Access Key combination |
| PC |
Firefox 2 |
ALT + SHIFT + Access Key |
| PC |
Firefox 3 |
ALT + SHIFT + Access Key (sometimes pressing ENTER is required) |
| PC |
Explorer 4+ |
ALT + Access Key (to focus the link) + ENTER to activate |
| PC |
Safari |
ALT + Access Key |
| PC |
Netscape 6+ |
ALT + Access Key |
| PC |
Opera |
SHIFT + ESC (produces list of access keys over the page), followed by Access Key |
| OS X |
Firefox 2 |
CTRL + Access Key |
| OS X |
Firefox 3 |
CTRL + Access Key (to focus the link) + ENTER to activate |
| OS X |
Safari |
CTRL + Access Key |
| OS X |
Opera |
SHIFT + ESC (produces list of access keys over the page), followed by Access Key |
| OS X |
Netscape 6+ |
CTRL + Access Key |
Downloading files
Some documents on this site can be downloaded on to your computer. This allows you to view them again without re-visiting our website and to print them out. Just click on the link and the document will open in a new browser window. Links to files will normally tell you the type of file and how big it is. Nearly all downloadable files on this site are in PDF format - see below for more information. If you cannot download PDF files, or would like information in a different format, please contact us at webteam@scie.org.uk
Occasionally you may experience difficulty downloading a file. You can sometimes get round this by clicking on the link with the right (rather than left) mouse button and then selecting the 'Save Target As..' option from the menu. You can also do this by selecting the link and then pressing the Context key (normally on the right hand side of the spacebar, to the left of the CTRL key).
Help with PDF files
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It's the most popular way of making downloadable documents available on the web. You need a plug-in called Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files which you can download for free from Adobe's website.
Users who have concerns about accessibility should visit Adobe's accessibility website. Adobe Acrobat documents can be converted to plain text documents using Online conversion tools for Adobe PDF documents.
Recent version of Acrobat Reader have a 'Read Out Loud' facility, which can be found under the View menu.
For general help with using the web, visit the BBC's Webwise website.
For detailed information about changing fonts and font sizes using different web browsers and operating systems, and using the keyboard instead of the mouse, try the sites listed below: