Accessibility Statement

To ensure that this happens, we have programmed our website following web standards and accessibility guidelines. The site is developed using valid XHTML and cascading style sheets (CSS). Our site content is separated from presentational elements, which makes it available to any visitors that use technologies such as a screen reader or text only browser.

You may confirm the validity of our XHTML and CSS using these links:

We try to maintain WAI Level Double-A accessibility

We strive to achieve and maintain levels of accessibility that conform to the Double-A standard.

Through further development of our web services we are striving to improve our compliance and aim to attain the WAI Level Triple-A standard as soon as possible.

What is an accessible website?

An accessible site is one that accommodates the full range of users. Designing for accessibility therefore means accepting that, for online information, there is:

no standard information user, and,
no standard device for browsing information

An accessible web site does not exclude anybody due to:

their abilities, or
the method they choose to access the web

Accessible websites prioritise clear content, structure and ease of navigation over frilly aspects of design, however they also need not be visually unattractive, nor are they prevented from using the latest web technologies, provided that all information is still accessible to users.

Changing the website's text size

You can change the text size on this website by clicking on the three different sized letter 'A' at the top right of the page.

Your browser's default text size setting for all websites

You may also use your browser settings to change the text size for all the web sites that you visit. The technique for doing this is slightly different depending on the browser that you use:

Internet Explorer: Select the 'View' menu (at the top of the screen), and select one of the options under 'Text Size'. The default setting is Medium.
Mozilla Firefox: Select the 'View' menu, then select Increase, Decrease or Normal.
Opera: Select the 'View' menu, then one of the 'Zoom' percentage options.
Netscape: Select the 'View' menu, then one of the 'Text Zoom' options.

Other browsers may also have similar options available. Please consult the documentation provided with your browser if similar options to the ones above aren't available.

Text version

A high visibility text version of this web site is available which displays content in high visibility sizes and colours. To access this content, click on the "Text version" link which appears at the upper left hand corner of very web page. Once in the Text version, the site can be fully navigated using the marked hyperlinks. Click the "Full version" link at the top of any page to return to full graphics mode.

The web: access and inclusion for disabled people

Most of the leading websites around the world are failing to provide the most basic accessibility standards for people with disabilities. 97% of websites did not provide even minimum levels of accessibility, a survey in December 2006 found.

Accessibility agency Nomensa tested the leading websites in five different sectors across 20 countries. Only three websites, including the British Prime Minister's site, achieved the minimum standards.

The report was commissioned by the United Nations as part of its International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December).