FASD Center for Excellence

Curriculum for Addiction Professionals > Accessibility

Accessibility

SAMHSA is committed to ensuring that this course is accessible to everyone. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the accessibility of this course, please contact us.

This page provides detailed information on this course's accessibility design. Many features make this course more accessible, including:

Fully functional pages, even with javascript turned off
Relative font sizes for all text so text can be enlarged or reduced using the text size options available in visual browsers (see instructions below)
Flexible page formats for all pages so pages can be automatically resized for different window sizes and screen resolutions
Pages designed with separate (external) style sheets, so they can be replaced by user-defined style sheets
A design using accessibility guidelines that follow federally mandated Section 508 and Web standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) .

Text Alternatives to Graphics

All navigation elements have text alternatives (alt text). We provide alt text for all graphics in our code that convey content and empty or null alt text for graphics in our code that do not convey content. Text alternatives are also provided using the longdesc and d link attributes for visitors using screen readers.

In most screen readers, the defaul setting is set to skip over images that do not have alt text, unless they are links, in which case screen readers read the link destination.

Accessibility of Links and Screen Readers

Visitors using screen readers may navigate all links in the course by using the keyboard. Screen readers allow users to skim Web content by tabbing from link to link. The Tab key, in most browsers, allows you to jump from link to link and the Enter key allows you to select a link. Most screen readers say "link" at the beginning of each linked word or phrase. Some screen readers also allow users to get an alphabetical list of links on a Web page. In JAWS, INSERT+F7 will activate the links list feature. Within the Links List window in JAWS, users may move quickly through the list with the up and down arrow keys or they may jump to a link by typing the first letter of a link name.

Change or Enlarge the Font Size

You may use your browser to increase the size of the text on the screen. Methods for doing so differ from one browser to the next. The table below outlines the methods used by some popular browsers. If your browser does not appear in the table, you should find an option called "Text Zoom" or "Text Magnification" or "Text Size" or "Font Size" under the "View" selection on the main menu of your browser. From that point you should be able to find and select an additional submenu option that adjusts the text size to your needs.

Using the Browser To Change Text Size
Operating System	Browser	Instructions
PC Windows	Internet Explorer 3 and 4	View » Fonts
PC Windows	Internet Explorer 5 and above	View » Text Size
PC Windows	K-melon	View » Increase Font/Decrease Font
PC Windows	Mozilla Firefox	View » Text Size » Increase Text Size/Decrease Text Size
PC Windows	Netscape 6	View » Text Size
PC Windows	Netscape 7	View » Text Zoom
PC Windows	Opera 5 and 6	Use dropdown menu on 'progress' bar
PC Windows	Opera 7	View » Zoom
MAC	I-Cab	View » Font Size
MAC	Internet Explorer 4.5	View » Text Size
MAC;	Internet Explorer 5 and above	View » Text Zoom
MAC	Netscape 4	View » Increase/Decrease Font Size
MAC	Netscape 7	View » Text Zoom
MAC	Opera 5 and 6	Use dropdown menu on 'progress' bar
MAC	Omniweb 4	Browser » Bigger Text/Smaller Text
MAC	Safari	View » Text Size

Screen Readers and Navigation Using Headings

Visitors using recent versions of screen readers may navigate using the following keystrokes:

H to cycle forwards through the headings
Shift + H to cycle backwards through the headings
1 to navigate to the next level 1 heading (or a number between 1 and 6 to navigate to the next heading on this level)
Shift + 1 to navigate to the previous level 1 heading (or a number between 1 and 6 to navigate to the previous heading on this level)
INSERT + F6 to provide a list of all headings

The browser, Opera, also has excellent keyboard navigation that is invaluable to visitors with motor difficulties. In Opera, the following keys may be used to navigate headings:

S to cycle forwards through the headings
W to cycle backwards through the headings

JAWS and Style Sheets

JAWS now allows you to control how it handles style sheets on Web pages. If you experience difficulty reading Web pages or filling out forms in Internet Explorer while using JAWS, press INSERT+V to change this option temporarily or INSERT+SHIFT+V to change it for all pages within the current Web site domain. Select the option "Style Sheet Processing" and press the SPACEBAR to select one of the following settings:

Imported Style Sheets: Processes all style sheet information for the page. This is the default setting.
Top Level Style Sheets: Processes style sheet information embedded in the page or linked externally. Choose this setting if you experience problems with a Web page or if your browswer stops responding.
Ignore Style Sheets: Suppresses all formatting and layout information provided by the page's style sheet. This setting can help you work with difficult forms or pages that JAWS cannot seem to read.