Accessibility information
Accessibility statement
SCIE is committed to making the content of this website accessible to all users, regardless of physical, economic or technological circumstances. Work towards this began in June 2005 with the launch of Social Care Online and this process will continue as part of an ongoing programme of improvements.
We are aware that there are some outstanding accessibility issues relating to this site, but we are making every effort to address these as speedily as resources allow. If you have any problems accessing the content of this site or using any form of adaptive technology, please contact us and we will make every effort to resolve the issue.
Standards compliance
We are working towards all pages on this site complying with priority 1 and 2 guidelines of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Most pages validate as XHTML 1.0 Transitional and the stylesheets used on this site validates using the W3C CSS Validator
Help with accessibility
- How do I make the text bigger so that it is easier for me to read?
- How do I change colours so that the contrast is better for me?
- I find a mouse difficult to use. How do I move around without one?
- What are PDF's and how do I read them?
- How can I view a Word file if I don't have Word software?
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 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 Colors option dialogue box .
- Using Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet options > Colors then uncheck Use windows colors and select the colours you prefer.
- Using Netscape, go to Edit > Preferences > Colors and select Use my chosen colors
I find a mouse difficult to use. How do I move around without one?
Access keys allow you to move around the main areas of the site without using a mouse.
Press the ALT key (Windows) or the Control key (Mac) and the appropriate letter key to jump to the link, and then Return to activate the link.
What are PDFs and how do I read them?
PDF stands for Portable Document File. 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. Recent versions of Acrobat Reader has a Read Out Loud facility, which can be found under the View menu.
How can I view a Word file if I don't have Word software?
A free Word viewer is available from Microsoft at the Microsoft Download Center . You'll find Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewers here too.
Access Keys
Access keys allow you to move around the main areas of the site without using a mouse.
Press the ALT key (Windows) or the Control key (Mac) and the appropriate letter key to jump to the link, and then Return to activate the link.
Top navigation links
- ALT and v - Skip navigation (hidden link)
- ALT and h - Home page
- ALT and u - Sign up
- ALT and c - Contact us
- ALT and e - Help
Left hand navigation links
- ALT and s - Browse and search
- ALT and b - About Social Care Online
- ALT and n - What's news
- ALT and j - Journals
- ALT and w - Websites
- ALT and r - Links to other social care resources
- ALT and l - Training and learning
- ALT and h - National Research Register for Social Care
Footer links
- ALT and t - Terms and conditions
- ALT and a - Accessibility information
- ALT and p - Site map