Help Files
Accessibility Information
The courseware runs in a technology called Adobe Flash Player. Flash is a rich multimedia technology. If you are using adaptive technologies, it may behave differently to a standard web page.
Accessibility Features in the Course
There are several features that have been incorporated into the courseware to make it accessible.
- You are able to change the colour scheme
- You are able to increase or decrease the text size
- The course works with keyboard-only access
- The course works with screen readers
These features are explained in more detail below.
Colour Preferences and Text Sizing
You can change the colour and text size settings in the courseware when you are in a learning object.
To find out how to do this, please see the sub-topic Your Text Size/Colour Preferences - More Detail for further details.
Keyboard Only Access
If you are only using keyboard-only or switch access, you can still navigate the course fully and complete all interactions.
When you move to an item, a yellow box will appear around the element that is currently active.
There are instructions which can help you complete interactions in the courseware. These instructions can be accessed by clicking on the 'Instructions' button below the interaction.
If you are using keyboard-only or switch access, these instructions will be tailored specifically to help you complete the interaction.
Screen Reader Access
The courseware is accessible using a screen reader. How it behaves depends on which screen reader you are using.
How the Course Works with a Screen Reader
The key difference between a standard web page and the courseware, which has been made in Flash, is where the information in the page is displayed. Depending on which screen reader you are using, there may be no headings or links on the page. If you are used to browsing a web site by listing headings and links on a page, you may need to try different methods of navigation such as tabbing, using the arrow keys or listing form fields.
General Hints for Using the Courseware with a Screen Reader
You can do several general things to help you use the courseware with a screen reader.
- We recommend that if you are using a screen reader, you use Internet Explorer. Some screen readers do not work well with Flash if it is not being viewed with Internet Explorer.
- Maximise the browser window which contains the courseware. To do this press 'Alt' and 'Space', then press 'x' or choose 'Maximise' from the drop down menu).
- If you are using Internet Explorer and your security settings are set very high, you may be presented with a security message on the page. If you move through your browser you will reach a message which states 'To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options...'. When you are on this message, press 'Space' then the 'a' key (or choose 'Allow Blocked Content' from the drop down menu). An alert box will open stating 'Allowing active content, such as script and ActiveX controls can be useful, but active content might also harm your computer'. Press the 'y' key to allow the courseware to run (or choose the 'yes' button in the alert).
- When you change page in the courseware, it is not like going to a new web page. The content will be refreshed but your screen reader may not automatically read it out. It's important that when you have changed page in the course, that you go through the content again to make sure you don't miss any important learning content.
- There are instructions which can help you complete interactions in the course. (The interactions are activities in which you can assess your knowledge). The instructions can be accessed by clicking on the 'Instructions' button below the interaction. If you are using a screen reader, these instructions will be tailored specifically to help you complete the interaction.
- Be careful using your browser's 'Back' button. As the whole course is wrapped in Flash, pressing the 'Back' button will not take you back a page in the courseware. It will take you away from the courseware and may mean that you lose your place in it.
Information for Using the Course with JAWS
The best way to navigate through the course content with JAWS is to step through it using the 'Up' and 'Down' arrow keys. You can move through the navigation elements on the page by using the 'Tab' key. When you are at the end of the Flash movie, JAWS will not automatically jump back to the top of the page. You can do this by pressing the 'Control' and 'Home' keys.
JAWS separates content on a page into parts and treats each part as a graphic. All navigation elements are treated as form fields and can be accessed via the form field list (press 'Insert' and 'f5'). JAWS does not recognise any Flash content as headings, links or tables.
You can also get JAWS to read out the whole page (press the 'Insert' key and the 'Down' arrow key).
The content is arranged in this order to allow you quick access to the most important information:
- Page information telling you where you are in the current learning object
- Title of the current learning object
- Page content
- Previous and next page buttons
- Main Menu button
- Options button and menu
- Help button
The page may contain long text blocks. JAWS breaks long content blocks into separate parts and treats each part as a separate graphic. When JAWS has read one part, press the 'Down' arrow key and it will read the next part.
When you change page in the courseware, it is best to return to the top of the content by pressing the 'Control' and 'Home' keys. This is to make sure you do not miss any important learning content on the page.
When you change page in the courseware, JAWS will sometimes wait a long time to respond to your commands. This is because some large text blocks take a while for JAWS to load. In these instances you will need to wait until JAWS is ready to continue before it begins speaking again. If you press the 'Control' and 'Home' keys, JAWS will automatically begin reading from the top of the page when it has finished loading the content.
The courseware is best navigated with JAWS set to PC cursor. If you need to run JAWS in JAWS cursor or invisible cursor, the performance of the courseware should not be affected.
Information for Using the Course with Windows Eyes
The best way to navigate through the courseware with Windows Eyes is to step through it using the 'Up' and 'Down' arrow keys. When you are at the end of the Flash movie, Windows Eyes will not automatically jump back to the top of the page. You can do this by pressing the 'Control' and 'Home' keys.
Each part of the content is treated as a graphic in Windows Eyes. Windows Eyes does not recognise any Flash content as headings, links, tables or forms.
You can also get Windows Eyes to read out the whole page. To do this, first go to the top of the page by pressing the 'Control' and 'Home' keys. Then press the 'Shift', 'Control' and 'r' keys to read out the content of the page.
You can move through the navigation elements on the page using the 'Tab' key.
The page may contain long text blocks. Windows Eyes breaks long content blocks into separate parts and treats each part as a separate graphic. When Windows Eyes has read one part, press the 'Down' arrow key and it will read the next part.
When you change page in the courseware, Windows Eyes will automatically start reading out the content again from the top.
Information for Using the Course with IBM Desktop Reader
To navigate through the content on the page, use the 'Tab' key. If you are on a navigation element that you want to activate, press the 'Enter' key.
All navigation elements in the course are treated as links by IBM Desktop Reader. You can access them by pressing the 'Control' and 'L' keys. This will bring the list of links up.
When you have tabbed through the content, the tabbing will automatically loop back to the top of the page, first to the browser address bar and then back into the courseware.
Your Feedback
We have made our best efforts to make the courseware accessible. We have done considerable testing with disabled users and a range of adaptive technologies.
However, accessibility in Flash is still very new and is evolving.
If you have trouble using certain aspects of the courseware with or without adaptive technologies or have suggestions on how we could improve the accessibility of the course, we would love to hear from you and will try and get back to you as soon as possible. Please email any comments to accessibility@cdsm.co.uk.