How To: Use Our Web Site Choose a Browser Choose a Screen Reader
Using The AIRS Web Site
The AIRS web site uses the following features to achieve accessibility for vision-impaired users:
- Text size controls, consisting of a Text+ and a Text- button, are located near the upper right corner of the window. These give a choice of seven text sizes relative to your browser's current size. (If you need larger print than the largest of the seven offers, you can increase your browser's current size by holding down the "Ctrl" or "Control" key and then pressing the "+" key to increase size or the "-" key to decrease size. Holding down "Control" and zero will restore your browser's default text size.) Be aware that there is a downside to using extremely large text sizes - some of the page sections may jump to unexpected places. If that happens, just go down a step in size.
- A "color" button just to the right of the text size buttons allows you to select either the "normal" black-on-white color scheme or an "inverted" white-on-black alternative some find easier to read.
- The use of graphics has been minimized but, when used, they will always have a text tag that shows up whenever your mouse pointer hovers over them.
- Care has been taken to ensure that all form elements such as text search boxes, buttons and text areas change size along with the text.
- Each page has the same look as the others. No re-learning will be necessary as you browse from page to page.
- The pages always completely fill the browser window, so there isn't any wasted screen space - all of it is used to present the text material.
- Your preferences are remembered the next time you visit the site so you only have to set them once. Your browser must have "cookies" enabled for this feature to work.
Blind users will "view" our site using a screen reader, software which reads the text in the browser window in a computer-generated voice. We use the following features:
- Abbreviation tags are used to avoid the usual screen readers attemp to "pronounce" abbreviations and mnemonics. For example, you will hear "Los Angeles" or "L A" instead of the word "la" when your screen reader pronounces our name, AIRS.
- We control the order in which portions of the page are read, so you won't have to listen to interminable link choices before getting to the content of the page.
- In the near future, we will support use of the following access keys. Hold down "ALT" and press the following numeric keys to go to the stated link.
- 0 - This Accessibility Statement
- 1 - Home Page
- 2 - Skip Navigation Links
- 3 - Site Map
- 4 - Search the Site
- 9 - Contact Us at AIRS
- In addition, wherever appropriate the tags a, area, button, input, label, legend, and textarea will be supported with consistent letter access keys. These will be indicated to the screen reader.
AIRS is grateful to Dave Child of I Love Jack Daniels for sharing his thoughts on accessibility for visually-impaired persons with the internet community.
Choosing a Browser
This section will be completed in the near future.
Summary of the browsers that support visual impairment and the extent to which they do goes here.
Choosing a Screen Reader
This section will be completed in the near future.
A discussion of screen readers goes here. The emphasis will be on the free/low cost ones.
