We are registered with the Browsealoud service which reads web pages aloud for people who find it difficult to read online. Reading large amounts of text on screen can be difficult for those with literacy and visual impairments.

Browsealoud is free to use. All you have to do is install the free Browsealoud software.

Step 1

Download the software from the Browsealoud website.

Step 2

Once the software is installed on your computer you will be able to listen to any website offering the Browsealoud service.

You can Customise the voices to your own preference and download extra voices to use.

Other websites where you can use Browsealoud

User Guide

The Browsealoud user guide is available on the Browsealoud website for PC and for Mac users.

Important information for people who do not use a mouse

Browsealoud is designed to be used primarily by mouse movements. If you are unable to use a mouse, you should enable mouse keys .

To enable mouse keys on a PC:

Open the control panel
Select accessibility options
Select the mouse tab
Switch on mouse keys you will be able to control the mouse using your numeric keypad

This will allow you to navigate to text on web pages which would normally be inaccessible using the keyboard. You can change Browsealoud settings by double clicking on the Browsealoud icon in the system tray.

Standards

There are two million people with sight problems in the UK. The planning Inspectorate web site and sub sites have been written in accordance with the RNIB "See it right" guidance for which the Planning Inspectorate has been accredited.

More information on the RNIB and their standards can be found on their web site: http://www.rnib.org

Colour Blindness

The site has also been tested for clarity for those who have colour blindness. The following pictures show the homepage when viewed by someone with different colour blindness conditions. The main aim is to ensure that navigation is not obscured because of lack of contrast or two colours appearing to be the same side by side.

Deuteranopia, red/green colour deficit

Image of Deuteranopia simulation on the homepage of the web site

Protanopia, Another form of red/green colour deficit

Image of protonape simulation on the homepage of the website

Tritanopia, Blue/yellow colour deficit

Image of Tritanopia simulation on the homepage of the website

Useful Links

Contact Information

If you are having problems viewing any pages within the web site please contact the Webteam.

How to view PDF documents

PDF files can be viewed using Adobe's Acrobat Reader. You can download Acrobat Reader free of charge from the Adobe website. Visit Access Adobe to find out how people with visual disabilities can get the most from this software.