Scottish Arts Council - Accessibility information

The Scottish Arts Council believes that everyone should be able to access its website regardless of any impairments or technical constraints.

As well as being intuitive and easy to use, the Scottish Arts Council website combines aesthetic value with practicality. This user-focused design combines these requirements into one website solution to satisfy all of its users.

Some of the measures we have taken to ensure that this website is accessible are detailed briefly below:

WAI
Compliance with the RNIB's 'See it Right' standards ensures that all pages within the site comply with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Priority 1 Guidelines. Many Priority 2 and 3 guidelines have also been followed in the creation of this website.

RNIB
This website is currently being audited by the RNIB, so that it complies with the RNIB's 'See it Right' accessibility standards.

All forms have been made accessible using labels that are explicitly associated with the text boxes, radio buttons and checkboxes that make up these forms.

Use of text
Where possible, and without compromising design, text has been used instead of images on this website. Navigation, page titles and subtitles, links and other elements have all been created using accessible html text.

Text Size
To allow full user control over how text appears on screen, this site has been created using relative text sizes. To find out how to use your browser's inbuilt text resizing tools, visit web help.

Flash, video and audio have all been included on this website, but none of these elements have been used to provide key content, such as navigation. Future developments may include the provision of closed captions and transcripts.

Contrast
The site has been tested to ensure that pages provide sufficient contrast when viewed by users with colour blindness or when viewed on a black and white screen.

Colour
No information is conveyed through colour alone. Links are consistently red in colour throughout the site, but are marked out with a dotted underline when rolled over.

Main navigation bar
Some javascript and DHTML has been used to create the site's main dropdown menu bar. An accessible alternative, the 'in this section' list of links, is available on the right hand side of the page, ensuring that all pages are navigable if a user does not use javascript.

Skip navigation
The inclusion of a 'skip navigation' link, which is available on all pages within the web site, allows easy access to main content area.

Opening links
All links to other websites will open in the same window. Publications and downloaded documents open in a new window.
If any other links open in a new or popup window, adequate warning will be provided.

Link context
Some browsers for example JAWS, Lynx and Opera can extract the list of links on a page and allow the user to browse the list separately. For this reason, wherever possible, links are written to make sense out of context.

Alt text
All content images include descriptive ALT text attributes. Structural graphics have been given null ALT text attributes.

The Scottish Arts Council is committed to disabled access. If you have a hearing impairment we have Typetalk - please prefix any number with 18001. Our publications can be made available in large print, Braille and audio format. Our offices have disabled access. Disabled visitors are advised to phone our reception in advance (0131 226 6051)

Please see our Equalities section for information on our Disability Equality Scheme.