Instructions for Internet Explorer:
Instructions for Netscape:
In order to set the fonts and background colours to be always used for web pages:
- Select Internet Options from the Tools menu of Internet Explorer;
- On the General tab, click Accessibility;
- Modify the settings as needed.
In order to change the colours of web pages:
- Select Internet Options from the Tools menu of Internet Explorer;
- On the General tab, click Colours;
- Modify the settings as needed.
To change the text size of a web page:
- Select Text Size from the View menu, then the desired size.
To view the text of a web page with a different font:
- Select Internet Options from the Tools menu of Internet Explorer;
- On the General tab, select Fonts;
- Select the desired Web page font or Plain text font from the lists.
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In Internet Explorer, it is possible to explore the Web using the keyboard.
Just press TAB and SHIFT+TAB to move forward and backward between screen elements such as:
- Links that are text or images;
- Hot spots on image maps;
- The Address bar;
- The menu bar;
- The Links bar;
- Frames.
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You can customize the toolbar by adding or removing buttons, changing the size of icons, and showing or hiding the text on labels.
Just right-click the toolbar, and then click Customize.
If you have low vision, you might want to add the Size button for quick access to the relative font size.
If you are using a screen reader, you might want to select Small Icons in the Icon Options list, and No text labels in the Text Options list to maximize the amount of screen space available for Web content.
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- On the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
- Change the following settings as needed:
Move system caret with focus/selection changes
If you use a screen reader, you might want to select this check box. Some screen readers or screen magnifiers use the system caret to determine which area of the screen to read or magnify.
Always expand alt text for images
Select this check box if you rely on alternate (ALT) text instead of viewing the actual pictures (that is, you've cleared the Show pictures check box). This ensures that the text is not cut off if the amount of text is larger than the image area.
Use smooth scrolling and Enable page transitions
If you use a screen magnification or screen reader program, you might want to clear these check boxes. If you use a voice recognition program, and you experience recognition errors during smooth scrolling and transitions, you might also want to clear these check boxes.
Show pictures, Play animations, and Play videos
If you have low vision, you might want to clear these check boxes to improve performance. If you are sensitive to screen flashing, you might also want to clear these check boxes.
Play sounds
If you have cognitive disabilities, you might want to clear this check box to prevent distractions. If you are blind, you might want to clear this check box or selectively download sounds so that they do not interfere with a screen reader reading text aloud.
Print background colors and images
If you have low vision, you might want to clear this check box to improve print legibility.
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It is possible to use quick access keys to view and explore web pages, preview pages and then print them, use the address bar, work with Favourites and edit.
The following are the main keyboard commands for Internet Explorer:
- TAB, move forward through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar;
- Shift + TAB, move back through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar;
- Alt + HOME, go to your Home page;
- Alt + RIGHT ARROW, go to the next page;
- Alt + LEFT ARROW or BACKSPACE, go to the previous page;
- Shift + F10, display a shortcut menu for a link;
- Control + TAB or F6, move forward between frames;
- Shift + Control + TAB, move back between frames;
- UP ARROW, scroll toward the beginning of a document;
- DOWN ARROW, scroll toward the end of a document;
- HOME , move to the beginning of a document;
- END, move to the end of a document;
- Control + F, find on this page;
- F5 or Control + R, refresh the current Web page;
- ESC, stop downloading a page;
- Control + O or Control + L, go to a new location;
- Control + N, open a new window;
- Control + W, close the current window;
- Control + S, save the current page;
- Control + Shift + F12, to print the current page or active frame (in Internet Explorer version 5);
- Control + P, to print the current page or active frame, (in Internet Explorer version 6);
- ENTER, activate a selected link;
- Control + E, open the Search bar;
- Control + I, open the Favorites bar;
- Control + D, add the current page to your favorites;
- Control + B, open the Organize Favorites dialog box;
- Control + H, open the History bar;
- F1, display Internet Explorer Help or, when in a dialog box, display context Help on an item.
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Instructions for changing the fonts and background colours of a web page with Netscape 4 and later versions.
Normally, the web pages are viewed using the predefined font of the browser , or a font chosen by the author of the page.
In Netscape the user is given the possibility to change the predefined fonts, with the following procedure:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences;
- Open the Appearance group and click the Fonts category;
- Choose an encoding to tell the computer which types of letters and symbols to use;
- Select the preferred size for the variable size fonts;
- Select the preferred size for the fixed size fonts. (Some text types, for example equations or formulas, are viewed in a fixed size font).
Many web page authors directly choose the font and size for the text viewed in the pages they have created. To ignore the settings of the author, click "Use my default fonts, overriding document-specified fonts."
In the more recent versions of Netscape , to regulate the legibility of the fonts, it is possible to modify the predefined resolution values in the “Screen Resolution" field.
The standard resolution is 96 dpi (dots per inch), but it is possible to choose a higher value.
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Normally, the background and text colours of web pages are determined by the browser settings, or by the authors of the pages.
However, it is possible to change the predefined colours of a website with the following procedure:
- Open the Edit menu and select Preferences;
- Open the Appearance group and click the Colors category.
- Click on the coloured blocks near “Text”, “Background”, “Unvisited Links” and “Visited Links”. Choose the desired colour for each element. It is also possible to specify if the links should be underlined or not.
It is also possible to choose to ignore the specific colours and backgrounds chosen by the web page authors, by selecting "Always use my colors, overriding document", to override the color and background settings specified by the author of the page.
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For further options and suggestions, please refer to the Help menu of your browser.
