Accessibility
The website in front of you has been built and designed to comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines. This means that certain technical tools and content creation principles have been used to help users with visual, hearing, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities access the website content.
In addition, it is possible to improve information accessibility by configuring your computer at the browser and operating system level. Below is an overview of the main assistive tools.
A more detailed guide on the same topic is available here.
Keyboard navigation
It is possible to navigate this website using only the keyboard. Navigation is done with the Tab key. Each press moves the focus to the next element. The currently active element is indicated by a color change and a box around it. To activate the link in focus, press the Enter key on your keyboard.
The first two links that become active in this way are hidden from regular users and are specifically intended for keyboard users. These are “Skip to main content” and “Accessibility”.
“Skip to main content” bypasses the header and left panel and jumps directly to the main content of the page. “Accessibility” refers to the same page you are currently on.
Content enlargement
Web browsers
All popular browsers allow you to zoom in and out of the page by holding down the Ctrl key (Cmd key on OS X) and simultaneously pressing either the + or - key. Another convenient option is to use the mouse: hold down the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel. To return to normal size, press Ctrl and 0 simultaneously.
Standalone programs
All major operating systems include settings to enlarge the content displayed on the screen.
In Windows 7, you can find the program called Magnifier by clicking the “Start” menu button in the bottom left corner, typing Magnifier (a few starting letters are enough), and pressing Enter. A small window will open with everything magnified. By default, the program follows the mouse cursor’s location.
In Windows 10, to open it, click the Windows logo button in the bottom left corner and simultaneously press the + key on the keyboard as many times as needed to enlarge the content. To reduce the content size, press the Windows logo key and the - key at the same time.
On Apple computers, to use zoom, navigate as follows: Apple menu > System Preferences > Accessibility (or Universal Access) > Zoom.
Browser extensions
There are extensions available for web browsers that enable zooming and enhance the browser's built-in functionality. For example, “Zoom Page” for Firefox allows you to zoom either the entire page or just the text; for Chrome, there is AutoZoom.
Using a screen reader
A screen reader is a program that attempts to interpret what is displayed on a computer screen and convey it in other forms—such as sounds or audio commentary. It is primarily an assistive tool for visually impaired users.
The content on this website is created according to standards that are understandable to screen readers, ensuring that all types of visual content can be reproduced in another form. For example, images have textual descriptions, videos include explanations of what is happening in the visuals, and the layout and order of structural elements are designed to follow the screen reader’s navigation path, allowing information to be consumed in a logical order.
A selection of popular screen readers:
- JAWS (Windows) http://www.freedomscientific.com/
- VoiceOver (OS X, free, built-in)
- NVDA (Windows, free) http://www.nvaccess.org/download/
- SystemAccess (Windows) http://www.serotek.com/systemaccess