Accessing this website
We are committed to ensuring everyone can use this website and have developed the site to suit different user needs. In this section, we explore ideas for making the site more accessible and, in the end, have listed links to more detailed information on different devices. Please get in touch if you have ideas for improving the accessibility of the site or if you have any other questions – we’d like to hear from you.
EMAIL: R.Oates@mmu.ac.uk
Introduction to the site
This site is about the research cluster Cultures of Disability. We explore the cultures of disability and the experiences of disabled people throughout history and in the present. Based at Manchester Metropolitan University, we include academics, activists and practitioners from different disciplines.
The site has a main menu along the top of the page with five key sections to explore; each section has multiple sub-posts within it.
The ways you can access this website are explained below.
Accessibility Tab
On the right hand of each page, you will see a small blue tab with an image of a person in white on it. Click on this tab to be offered the most common tools used to increase accessibility. These include making the text larger or smaller, changing the contrast or colours of the website, altering the font or underlining the links.
Other access changes you can make
These are some of the most common adjustments that you can make to increase access, depending on what makes things easier for you:
Speaking websites
Several programmes are available that enable your computer to talk to you.
Microsoft Windows comes with a basic screen reader called Narrator, which reads text on the screen aloud and describes some events (such as an error message appearing) that happen while you’re using the computer. You can find more information on how to use Narrator on the Microsoft website.
There are also a number of Screen Reader programmes with more features, such as reading whole documents. Some of the most popular include:
For Mac users, the Mac operating system also has a built-in speech-to-text function, which you can access by going to ‘System Preferences’ and selecting ‘Universal Access’. Or for instant speech, any Mac user can select any text, right click, and scroll down to Speech. There is an option to “Start Speaking, and the text will be read to you.
Magnifying the screen
All recent versions of Microsoft Windows include magnification software. This allows you to greatly increase text size, although this will be restricted to only a small proportion of the screen. To use Windows magnifier, click on ‘Start’ then select ‘Programmes’ followed by ‘Accessories’ and ‘Magnifier’. You can then select the amount of magnification you want from the dialogue box that will appear on the screen.
For Mac users, you can select the screen magnifier option by going to ‘System Preferences’ and selecting ‘Universal Access’.
Making the mouse point bigger
You can increase the size of the mouse pointer on your screen. In Microsoft Windows, you do this by clicking on ‘Start’ and selecting ‘Control Panel’ followed by ‘Hardware and Sound’ and ‘Devices and Printers’. You can then click on ‘Mouse’ followed by ‘Mouse Pointer Options’ and select any changes you want.
For Mac users, click on ‘System Preferences’ and select ‘Universal Access’ followed by ‘Mouse & Trackpad’. You can make the mouse pointer bigger by sliding the Cursor Size bar.
Slowing down the mouse speed
Some people find it easier to use a mouse at a slower speed. In Microsoft Windows, you can change this setting in the same way as you change the size of your mouse pointer. From the ‘Mouse Pointer Options’ menu, just slide the ‘Select a pointer speed’ bar to slow or speed up the mouse.
For Mac users, from the ‘Mouse & Trackpad’ menu, you can use the ‘Tracking Speed’ slider bar to change the mouse speed.
Using the keyboard to move around a website
For people who can’t use a mouse or trackpad, it is possible to navigate around a computer screen using different keystrokes on the keyboard.
There is further information on keyboard shortcuts on the Microsoft Windows website. You can also find information on using the keyboard with different web browsers and other programmes in this RNIB guide.
More info for access on different devices
For more detailed guidance on how to increase accessibility and change how your device or web browser works, we recommend the following websites:
Windows
For information about accessibility options using a Windows PC see Windows Accessibility features
Apple
For information about accessibility options using an Apple PC, see Apple accessibility for OSX.
On an iPhone or iPad
For information about accessibility options using an iPhone, see Apple accessibility for iOS.
On an Android device
For information about accessibility options using an Android device, see the Android accessibility help centre