Accessibility

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A number of features have been implemented in Literature Online to make the site more accessible to people with visual, motor or cognitive disabilities. Some of these features may not be visible in your browser but can improve accessibility for people using assistive technologies. We are committed to making our interface and content compliant with current accessibility standards. At present we are aiming to comply with WAI Priority 1 accessibility standards, and some features also contribute towards compliance with Priority 2 and 3 guidelines.

For any queries about accessibility in Literature Online, please contact our Webmaster.

Keyboard access

The following access keys have been assigned to links to the main areas of the site, making it possible to navigate around the site without using a mouse:

1=Search Authors
2=Search Texts
3=Search Criticism and Reference
4=Browse Complete Contents
5=Browse Full Text Journals
6=Browse Author Index
0=Browse Poets on Screen
7=MyArchive
8=Information Centre
9=Individual Collections (option available from Home page only)
l=Help
s=Site Map
o=Home
p=Proquest
w=Webmaster
c=Copyright
i=Accessibility
n=End session (option not available from Home page)
Labels have been added to form fields to make them easier to understand.

To use the access keys:

Hold down the Alt key and press the assigned access key.
Press Enter.

The page you have chosen should now open. Note: access keys are supported in Internet Explorer 4.x upwards, Netscape 6.0 upwards and Firefox 1.0 upwards.

Note: Mac users should hold down the Ctrl key and press the assigned access key.

Navigation aids

A "Skip navigation" link has been provided at the top of each page to enable users with screen readers to go directly to the content of the page without needing to repeat the navigation links. It is invisible to the naked eye but can be read by screen readers.
A text-only site map provides links to all the main areas and sub-areas of the site in a more accessible format. To access the site map, click on the Site map link at the top right of any page, and then click on a link within the site map to open the relevant page

Other accessibility features

A text description has been added to each image within <alt> and <title> tags. This will appear as a 'tooltip' to users with visual browsers and will also be read out be screen readers. Images used purely for decorative purposes contain a null value so they will not be read by screen readers or generate a 'tooltip' unnecessarily.
Text throughout the site (including navigation) is resizeable. Visually-impaired or Mac users may find increasing the text size within their browser makes reading pages easier.
All forms have been labelled to make them easier to understand for people using assistive technology. Text associated with a particular form field has been given a label in the HTML code to show the relationship. These labels are not visible on the screen but will be read out by screen readers and other assistive technologies.
The opening of pop-up or additional browser windows has been made clear.

To increase the text size:

In Internet Explorer, click the View menu, then select Text Size and then choose larger or largest (the default is medium). Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel (if you have one).
In Netscape or Firefox, click the View menu, then select Text Zoom and then choose the size you would like (the default is 100%). Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key and at the same time, push the + or - key.