• Target Browsers: Internet Explorer 6.0 , Internet Explorer 7.0 , Firefox 2+, Safari, Opera, Google Chrome
• Paritially Supported Browsers: Internet 4.0 , Internet Explorer 5.0

• Find general information about optimising the user experience for people who are blind and/or have visual impairments on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.
• Find information about filling in forms for people who are blind and/or have visual impairments on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

• Find general information about optimising the user experience for people who are blind and/or have visual impairments on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.
• Find information about filling in forms for people who are blind and/or have visual impairments on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

If you have visual impairments, you may be interested in the following assistive technology:

• screen magnifiers enlarge a portion of the screen as you move the focus, thus increasing legibility
• screen readers verbalise or "speak" everything on the screen including labels, menus, text, ALT text, etc
• refreshable Braille displays provide tactile output of information represented on the computer screen
• Braille embossers work with Braille translation programs, which convert text scanned in or generated via standard word processing programs into Braille, and then print it on the embosser
• talking word processors are software programs that use speech synthesisers to provide auditory feedback of a page
• large-print word processors allow you to view everything in large text without added screen enlargement
• colour contrast testers are software that can be used to gauge whether the colours used on a site have sufficient contrast and are therefore legible
• voice-activated software, also called speech recognition software, allows you to enter data using your voice rather than a mouse or keyboard


Windows usersFind general information about optimising the user experience for people who have mobility or dexterity difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.Find information about filling in forms for people who have mobility or dexterity difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Mac usersFind general information about optimising the user experience for people who have mobility or dexterity difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.Find information about filling in forms for people who have mobility or dexterity difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

If you have mobility or dexterity difficulties, you may be interested in the following assistive technology:

Voice-activated software, also called speech recognition software, allows you to enter data using your voice rather than a mouse or keyboard.

On-screen keyboard programs provide an image of a standard or modified keyboard on the computer screen. You can select the keys with a mouse, touch screen, trackball, joystick, switch technology, or electronic pointing device.

Touch screens are devices placed on the computer monitor (or built into it) that allow direct selection or activation of the computer by touching the screen.

Keyboard filters include typing aids, such as word prediction utilities and add-on spelling checkers. These products reduce the required number of keystrokes. Keyboard filters enable users to quickly access the letters they need and to avoid inadvertently selecting keys they don't want.

Alternative input devices include alternative keyboards, expanded, guarded keyboards, electronic pointing devices, sip-and-puff systems, wands and sticks, joysticks and trackballs. They allow you to control your computer through means other than a standard keyboard or pointing device.

Difficulties that people who are deaf or who have hearing difficulties may encounterHearing difficulties can range from slight hearing loss to deafness. People who are deaf or who have hearing difficulties might be able to hear some sound, but might not be able to distinguish words.

Windows usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who are deaf or have hearing difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Mac usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who are deaf or have hearing difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Difficulties that people with learning difficulties may encounterLearning difficulties can range from conditions such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder to retardation. Many individuals with learning difficulties are perfectly capable of learning if information is presented to them in a form and at a pace that is appropriate to them individually.Details of how to optimise the user experience specifically for people who have learning difficulties can be found on the BBC website.

Windows usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have learning difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Mac usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have learning difficulties on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

If you have learning difficulties, you may be interested in the following assistive technology:

Word prediction programs allow you to select a desired word from a list of words predicted by the first one or two letters typed. You can then select the word from the list and insert it into the text by typing a number, clicking the mouse or scanning with switch technology.

Reading comprehension programs focus on establishing or improving reading skills through ready-made activities, stories, exercises or games. These programs can help practice letter/sound recognition and can increase the understanding of words.

Reading tools and learning disability programs include software designed to make text-based materials more accessible for people who have problems reading. Options can include reformatting, navigating, scanning or speaking text out loud.

Speech synthesisers (often referred to as text-to-speech (TTS) systems) receive information going to the screen and then "speak" it out loud. Individuals who have lost the ability to communicate orally can use a speech synthesiser to communicate by typing information and having the speech synthesiser speak it out loud.

Voice-activated software, also called speech recognition software, allows you to enter data using your voice rather than a mouse or keyboard.

Difficulties that people who are aging may encounter on the InternetAs we get older many of us will develop vision, hearing, dexterity or mobility conditions that may impact us when using a computer.Details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have any difficulties and impairments associated with aging can be found on the BBC website.

Trouble seeing the screen

If you have trouble seeing the screen you could:

increase text size

magnify areas on the screen using Windows Magnifier, if you are using Windows

invert colours on the screen using Windows Magnifier, if you are using Windows

Windows users  Find details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have trouble seeing the screen on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Mac usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have trouble seeing the screen on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Difficulty hearing computer soundsIf you have difficulty hearing computer sounds you could:

turn up the volume

use headphones to help block out background noise

adjust computer system sounds that are easier for you to hear

use text or visual alternatives to sound for alerts, etc

Windows usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have difficulty hearing computer sounds on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Mac usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have difficulty hearing computer sounds on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Difficulty typing or controlling the mouseIf you experience difficulties when typing or controlling the mouse you could:

use "Filter Keys" to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes

use "Sticky Keys" to press multiple keys at once

adjust the mouse cursor size, appearance and pointer options

change the way the mouse scrolls and how the buttons work, including the double-click speed

use "ClickLock" if you don't want to hold the mouse button down while you drag items with the mouse

Windows users Find details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have difficulty typing or controlling the mouse on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.

Mac usersFind details of how to optimise the user experience for people who have difficulty hearing computer sounds on the BBC website - Opens in a new window.