Accessibility

Making our site easy to use

CarbonSpring recognises the importance of providing a website that is accessible to all user groups, including the disabled, visually impaired and those with motor deficiencies and cognitive disabilities.

We have incorporated a number of accessibility features to improve the website’s overall use, supporting navigation for screen readers, text-only browsers, and keyboard navigators. For more details, take a look at the following sections:

1. General information & standards compliance
2. Background, text and colour
3. Non-text elements & scripts
4. Links and navigation
5. Frames and tables

Please contact us if you have any questions or feedback regarding the accessibility of this site, or if you experience any difficulty using it.

General information

We have designed this site with accessibility in mind. Some of the more general features include:

• the use of clear and simple language which is easy to understand
• the use of common web conventions
• avoiding the use of blinking or flickering elements
• the use of validated HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

Standards compliance

Our website has been developed to conform with level A compliance, as specified by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We have deliberately made limited use of JavaScript, and functionality requiring browser add-ons.

We have also performed extensive user testing in pilot groups, and utilised a range of automated tools specifically for accessibility purposes. Furthermore, we have tested using a variety of screen reading applications, on both PCs and Macs, and with a number of different operating systems.

Background, text and colour

We have carefully selected colours, fonts and text sizes to benefit all users, including those with visual impairments:

• Colours
  Font and background colour combinations have been checked against the different colour blindness conditions to ensure that information remains as clear as possible.
  
  Content conveyed using colour is also available without colour.
  
  
• Font and text size
  We recognise that some users may want to change their text size, so the use of fixed sized fonts has been avoided where possible. To change the text size, simply go to the 'View' menu at the top of your browser. Depending on your browser there will be an option called 'Text Size' or 'Text Zoom', which can be used to either increase or decrease your text size.
  
  
• Style sheets
  We have made extensive use of cascading style sheets (CSS) for visual layout, although where possible, the site is also accessible to browsing devices which do not support style sheets.

Non-text elements

Providing alternatives for non-text elements gives visually impaired and screen-reader users wider access to our website. They have therefore been provided where appropriate.

Scripts

The use of JavaScript on this website has been deliberately limited, to improve usability and ensure equal access to those who have scripting disabled.

Links and navigation

To make our website easy to use and improve the experience for everyone, it’s been structured with the following aspects in mind:

• Navigation
  We've made navigation links between pages consistent throughout
  
  
• Pop-up windows
  We do not use pop-up windows unless linking to a third-party site, such as a regulatory body.

Frames and tables

Using clearly defined tables allows information to be clearly conveyed, and makes the completion of form fields more intuitive.

• Frames
  We have intentionally made limited use of frames on this website, and any frames we do use have descriptive titles to help screen readers make sense of them
  
  
• Tables
  We have used tables for layout where appropriate, ensuring the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are adhered to at all times. This means tables have no structural mark-ups for visual purposes, and make most sense when presented in a linear way.