Accessibility

Our approach for a more inclusive website 

We want you to find, access and use the information you need on our website. Our website has been designed to meet Australian Government standards and guidelines including: 

• The Digital Experience Policy(Opens in a new tab/window) including the Digital Service Standard and the Digital Inclusion Standard
• The Australian Government Style Manual(Opens in a new tab/window) 
• Australia’s Disability Strategy(Opens in a new tab/window).

Our website aims to conform to level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 (WCAG 2.2). WCAG was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It has been designed to support accessibility hardware and/or software that our users may use.

Our website includes many features to help you access the content on the site. These tips will help you improve your experience. 

Browsing our site

Browser requirements

To ensure your security and the best experience with this site, we recommend you update your browser to the latest version. 

Big and small screens are supported 

Our website has been designed to work on devices of all shapes and sizes. You will get a similar experience if you are working on your phone, a tablet, a laptop or a desktop. 

Searching the website

You can search our website using the search bar at the top of every page. You can select from a set of popular search terms or input your own. If you need more specific results, you can use the filters to narrow down your options. You can also sort your search results. 

Opening links in new tabs or windows 

You have control over how you want links to open. None of the links across the site will open in a new tab or window without letting you know.

Your device may be different, but common ways to open links in a new tab are:

• right click on the link and choose to open the link in a new tab
• hover over the link and click your mouse button or wheel
• hold CTRL or ⌘ Command and click on the link. 

Documents in many formats

We understand users view documents in different ways. We publish most documents in more than one format. This may include Word or PDF, Auslan summaries, Easy Read or translated versions. All versions of a document will be listed in the one place.

Documents follow accessibility best practice techniques when they are published. If you have issues with any older documents or documents from third parties please let us know(Opens in a new tab/window).

You can download documents and open them to read in your web browser or other applications. You can also save them to your computer to read offline.

Screen reader navigation 

We've added features to make it easier for users who use screen readers to navigate. Each page has the following links. 

• Skip to content - this link allows you to skip over repetitive elements like page headers and menu, taking you straight to the content of the page.
• Skip to navigation - this link takes you to the menu for easier navigation without repeating the page header.

Listening to content 

Our ReadSpeaker tool will read the text aloud to you. This feature is available on all pages and most PDFs. 

To get started, select the Listen link in the top right of any page. You can also highlight text anywhere on the page and select Listen from the pop-up menu. 

Visit the ReadSpeaker website for more information about converting text to speech(Opens in a new tab/window).

Help with strange words 

If you highlight words on any of our pages, a toolbar will appear with the following options: 

• Listen – this will read the text displayed to you
• Dictionary – this will provide a definition of the text displayed
• Language – this will try to translate the text into another language.

The definitions and language translations are automated and not defined by us.

Accessible videos 

Video content on our site includes transcripts and captions. Transcripts give a text alternative to the video. Captions help people who are not able to or have difficulty hearing audio.

Auslan videos 

We provide Auslan videos for some of our resources. This makes information easier to access for users who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing or prefer simplified content.

Changing the appearance

High contrast or dark mode support

Our site is designed to be compatible with most common plugins or device settings that force a dark or high contrast mode.

Zooming in and out 

You can change the text size or size of a page by zooming in or out. 

If you have a PC: 

• press CTRL and + to zoom in
• press CTRL and - to zoom out.
   

If you have a Mac:

• press ⌘ Command and + to zoom in
• press ⌘ Command and - to zoom out.

Font display settings 

You can change the font being used on this website to one specifically designed to help low-vision readers. Learn about the design of Atkinson Hyperlegible Font by the Braille Institute(Opens in a new tab/window) or use the buttons below to change the font being used.