Accessibility

LSAC strives to make the LSAC.org website accessible and user-friendly for all users, including people with disabilities. Our goal is to provide a good web experience for all visitors. Below you will find a list of some of the technology solutions we have integrated to make our website easy to navigate and accessible.

LSAC welcomes your feedback regarding the accessibility of this website. If you are unable to access any of the materials on this site, please call 215.968.1001. You can also send an e-mail message to LSACinfo@LSAC.org, and one of our customer service representatives will contact you. Please include your preferred method of communication (phone or e-mail) and leave your phone number or e-mail address, depending on your preference.

If you have any questions about using assistive technology for this website and need assistance, please contact Technical Support Services at 215.968.1393.

Settings and Preferences in Web Browsers

Internet Explorer Browser Accessibility Options

Internet Explorer provides users the ability to override webpage styles and format documents using their own preferred style sheet.

How to modify Internet Explorer accessibility settings:

Tools/Internet Options/General - Click Accessibility button at bottom right.

Magnify text, images, and controls on the page by using the magnifying glass icon at the bottom right corner of the status bar, or by using the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + plus sign to increase and Ctrl + minus sign to decrease. (This feature is not available in version 6; you can only change font size by using the menu View - Text size.)

Allow text to be selected with the keyboard (Caret Browsing) You can press F7 to use Caret Browsing. This enables you to select text and move around within a webpage using the standard navigation keys on your keyboard—HOME, END, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, and the arrow keys. (This feature is only available in version 8.)

Firefox Browser Accessibility Options

Firefox includes many features to make the browser and web content accessible to all users, including those who have low vision, no vision, or limited ability to use a keyboard or mouse.

How to modify Firefox accessibility settings:

Tools/Options

Allow text to be selected with the keyboard (Caret Browsing) allows you to use the keyboard to select web content and copy it to the clipboard. Tools > General tab in the Advanced panel or press F7 to turn the feature on/off.

When using a keyboard search for text when I start typing allows you to quickly navigate to text or hyperlinks in a web page. This feature has two modes. Press the / (slash) and start typing to search all text on the current page, or press ' (apostrophe) before your string to search hyperlinks only. Firefox will highlight matching texts or hyperlinks you type.

Override page fonts and/or colors in Tools/Options/Content. To change the font, choose Tools/Options/Content/Fonts & Colors and use the drop-down menu to select the font size of your choice. Some websites have custom fonts, to disable them choose Tools/Options/Content/Advanced and uncheck the box next to Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above. To change font color choose Tools/Options/Content/Colors and select the color you want by clicking one of the colored squares.

Text zoom in and zoom out feature can be accessed by using the keyboard shortcuts. You can use the zoom in control by holding Ctrl + plus (Cmd + plus on the Mac), holding Ctrl + minus (Cmd + minus on the Mac) to zoom out, or Ctrl + 0 to reset.

Firefox Extensions

Various helpful accessibility extensions exist for Firefox.

  • Accessibar is an accessibility toolbar enabling easy, powerful and highly configurable manipulation of webpage display and text-to-speech output.
  • Firefox Accessibility Themes are available for people with low vision. At Access Firefox, you will find several Firefox themes specially designed for people with low vision.

Safari Browser Accessibility Options

Safari's features include a built-in screen reader, page zoom, enhanced keyboard navigation, minimum font size setting, and option to apply a custom style sheet.

How to modify font and style sheet settings in Safari:

Edit/Preferences/Advanced

Page and/or text zoom uses the same keyboard shortcut as in Safari (Ctrl + plus [Cmd + plus on the Mac] to increase and Ctrl + minus [Cmd + minus on the Mac] to decrease) or you can add the zoom buttons into the browser toolbar.

Keyboard users can use the Tab key to navigate form elements on a page. Pressing Option + Tab navigates every link and form element.

Main Features that Make This Website Accessible

Consistent Layout and Navigation

We strive for simple information architecture with uniform navigation on every page. Pages share similar design templates and the same elements can be found at the same relative location on different pages. For example, important site messaging is always displayed right after heading level 1.

Semantic Structure to Aid in Comprehension

We use semantic elements such as headings, lists, and paragraphs to aid comprehension. Headings that are in the correct order from Heading 1 to Heading 6 improve understanding of the content structure when using screen readers. Lists are used for navigational elements and subsets of the lists are coded so that they are announced correctly for screen readers. This treatment indicates the same hierarchy of elements to a screen reader user that exists in the visual presentation.

Use of "Skip to main content"

The first link in every document is a "skip link" that can be used to skip repetitive main navigational elements and link directly to the main section of each page (the content) at heading level 1.

Fonts that Are Displayed Using Relative Sizes

Fonts use relative units of measurement which allows them to be resized by the user in a web browser. Most browsers support Ctrl + plus (Cmd + plus on Mac) to zoom to a larger size.

CSS Style Sheets Are Used for Presentation

Style sheets can be replaced by a user stylesheet.

Alternative Descriptions for Meaningful Graphics

All graphical elements have a description (alt tag). For decorative images the alt tag is empty so screen readers don't have to read meaningless descriptions.

Form Fields Include Labels and/or Fieldset Titles

Many of our forms are structured using the fieldset element that allows multiple fields to be grouped together and share a title. This gives the user additional information about the data they are requested to enter. Labels for form fields (e.g. First name) are placed adjacent to the form element, and required fields are indicated. Forms can be navigated using the tab key. In some cases form fields have additional title elements to describe them.

New Browser Windows (Pop-Ups) Are User Friendly

A visual icon is displayed and a warning message is announced to screen reader users if a link will open in a new window. A new window will never open behind a currently opened window. If using a screen reader, "will open in a new browser window" is announced.

Pages Have Titles

We strive for pages to have clear and descriptive page titles. A screen reader user will hear the page title announced as the first item when a new page is opened. The title will also help users who prefer tabbed browsing because it will be displayed in the tab.

Tables Include Headers that Are Associated with Cell Information

Tables are coded with a scope element to indicate column or row headers. This will help screen readers when reading the table to associate cell information to the appropriate header.

Titles and Descriptions of Elements

Titles and headings of elements are descriptive and we strive to keep them concise and easy to understand. Link titles include text that is descriptive enough to aid in navigation. When possible they also make sense when taken out of context.

Information Is Not Conveyed by Color Only

Information is not provided by color only. Color is used to enhance visual experience and scannability, and to improve contrast.

Page Structure

The webpages are structured to include three different areas:

  1. a header bar that includes the main navigation;
  2. a main content area;
  3. a footer.

When CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are disabled (or when using a screen reader), the pages are still readable.

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Screen Reader Users

LSAC supports JAWS in Internet Explorer. References to keystrokes below apply to JAWS; check your screen-reader documentation to find out the corresponding keystrokes in your software.

Keystrokes

These are some of the most common keystrokes in JAWS:

Insert + F7 - list links

Insert + F6 - list headings

H - next heading

L - next list

F - next form control

A - to move to next radio button

T - next table

(To move to previous instance of the same element use Shift + the Quick key.)

Down Arrow - say next line

Up Arrow - say previous line

Navigating Using Headings

All pages use HTML headings to provide semantic structure. The content always starts with a page heading indicated as heading level 1. Using headings in the correct order provides a useful way for most screen readers to advance to certain place in the document. For example, JAWS users can press H to move to the next heading and Insert + F6 to display a list of all headings on the page.

Navigating Tables

T - move to next table

Use CTRL + Alt + arrow key to move to a neighboring cell up, down or left, right

CTRL + Alt + Numpad 5 (Num lock off) - Read current cell

CTRL + Alt + Home - move to and read first cell

CTRL + Alt + End - move to and read last cell

Navigating Forms

Enter - forms mode on

Num pad plus - forms mode off

F - next form control

When in forms mode you can move through the fields by using the Tab key. (Previous form field - Shift + Tab)

C - next combo box

E - next edit box

A - to move to next radio button

x - next check box

In JAWS: To select or deselect a check box or radio button without entering Forms mode, press the spacebar or number pad / (slash) key.

Screen Reader Settings

Please enable expanding of abbreviations and acronyms in your reader.

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