Accessibility Information
World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Compliance
The DTF site has been constructed so as to provide the highest level of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines compliance.
AccessKeys
This site uses the following accesskeys for streamlined navigation to specific areas on the site:
# 0 About
# 1 Help
# 2 Sitemap
# 3 Email
# 4 Print
# 5 Text Only / Graphical version
# 6 Links
# 7 Publications
# 8 Job Opportunities
# 9 News
Windows users can navigate with the accesskey feature by typing ALT+Accesskey. On the Mac, you would use CTRL+Accesskey (not COMMAND+Accesskey, which can produce undesired effects). Internet Explorer users may also need to hit the "enter" key to activate a link.
Windows users will find that accesskeys take precedence over application commands, which can still be accessed from the keyboard by first typing the menu shortcut key (usually ALT) followed by the letter corresponding to the desired menu item.
Low Bandwidth users
Users in low bandwidth situations can elect to not download graphics and still receive the complete site information and navigation facilities. To achieve this, a user will need to effect changes to their browser configuration.
For example, for the latest Internet Explorer browser version 6.0, the user will need to:
- select the Tools>Internet Options menu within the browser interface which will launch a popup window.
- The user then needs to select the Advanced menu option. When the Advanced menu is selected, it will present a series of checkbox options available for the customisation of the browser's configuration.
- To isolate the presentation of graphics, the user will need to uncheck the option: Show Pictures which is found under Multimedia.
- Once the box is unchecked the alteration needs to be applied.
Adjusting text sizes
The adjustment of text sizes is a function which can be achieved through reconfiguration of a browser's settings. Due to the fact that modern browsers look to the style sheet regarding text sizes and font selection, it is necessary first to tell the browser to ignore these elements when it is building up a webpage for display. If this is not done, the browser cannot override the layout and font size rules which the page template has in place.
For instance, to get the latest IE 6.0 browser to ignore font sizes specified by style sheet, the following process must be followed.:
- Select the Tools>Internet Options menu within the browser interface which will launch a popup window.
- The user then needs to select the Accessibility button. This selection will then launch another popup window.
- Under the Heading of Formatting, the option Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages needs to be checked.
Once the browser has been reconfigured, a user can then choose to alter the text size which is presented by the web page through selection of the desired Text Size option within the View menu of the browser.
Cookies/session variables
The DTF site does not employ the use of cookies or session variables for casual browse visitors to the site.
The only time that a session variable is utilised by the DTF site is when a visitor submits a link, which is valid against the charter (set out by State Government of South Australia) and is approved for public display. A session variable is then employed to manage the owner of the links' return to the site for the purpose of editing the details stored against the link.
Technical Compliance Information
The content management system which controls the DTF site separates content from display. This is a fundamental tenet of the architectural intent. No content includes any direct formatting commands or tags.
The path to compliance lies in the means by which content is rendered through the templates and style sheets - and this data stream's conformance with the World Wide Web Consortium guidelines.
When page templates are designed, a skilled programmer - cognisant of the guidelines' requirements -constructs the templates in such a way so as to confine all content to a compliant output.
Therefore the DTF site only offers a single version of the site which then handles cross-platform and multi-browser compatibility through the graceful degradation of the user experience based on the capabilities of the browser/platform combination.
