The pages on this web site incorporate a number of accessibility enhancements as detailed below.
The icons of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) adorning this page are our statements of compliance to the standards-defining body of web communications. In displaying them, we are attesting that this site is designed for exacting standards of compatibility with any compliant browser as well as content accessibility for the broadest spectrum of users possible.
Accessibility features for the YBCV site
Keyboard Shortcuts
The following keyboard shortcuts are available from every page on the YBCV site. They provide access to the links in the navigation in the header and the links in the footer of every page.
- Alt-1: YBCV Home: The home page for YBCV, which may contain news and highlights.
- Alt-2: Committee: Detailing the YBCV Committee, which may include personal profiles of committee members.
- Alt-3: Projects: A page giving general information about YBCV projects that are planned or under way.
- Alt-4: Community: Giving information on the YBCV community, including blogs, mailing lists and contact information.
- Alt-5: Downloads: A page containing links to all the audio and other downloads that YBCV has made available.
- Alt-6: History: Information on the history of YBCV from 2000 until the present.
- Alt-7: About this site: This page, which gives information about the YBCV site and the accessibility features available.
- Alt-8: YBCV Bylaws: Shows our bylaws - the rules that govern the activities of the YBCV branch of BCA.
- Alt-9: E-mail the Webmaster: Direct email link to the YBCV Webmaster
Skip to content Link
At the top of every page just after the page heading and to the left of the navigation, there is a "Skip to Content" link, shown as a small blue arrow pointing down towards the content of the page. Selecting this link will move the focus to the content of the page beyond the navigation at the top of the page.
Page structure
All pages on the YBCV site are structured into three main sections, the top section contains the logo, main page heading and a set of navigation links, the main section contains the page content, and the foot section contains a footer with information such as links to bylaws, branch history and an indication of when the site was last modified. the navigation and the footer section has a hidden level 2 heading that allows screen reader users to jump directly to those places in the content of the page. The main page content area for each page will contain the usual appropriate XHTML structure such as paragraphs, headings starting at level 2, lists etc. which make it easy to navigate the content. Where pages are long, sections of the page will be divided with a "Top" link, that takes the user back to the top of the page.
Page presentation
All presentational information on all pages in this web site is coded using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). This means that if you have trouble perceiving the content on our pages, it is possible for you to construct a style sheet of your own to customise the way the YBCV site is presented to you. Alternatively, you can turn off the rendering of CSS styles so that the YBCV site appears without any CSS styles at all, but will still function in the same way and be easy to navigate.
YBCV Logos and long descriptions
The logos shown on this site are described in detail on the pages given below. Please note that w3C logos or other external logos are not described. Descriptions are only given for BCA logos and images created by YBCV, specifically for this web site.
- BCA Logo Long Description: This is the official BCA logo, but changed to monochrome white and black, and inverted so that the logo is white on a black background. This logo is shown at the top left corner of every page and always links back to BCA Home.
- Skip to Content Arrow Description: This is the image used for the "Skip to Content" link. This link is shown to the left of the navigation links that are within the top section of every page on the YBCV site. The link always brings the focus directly to the top of the main section of the page, just under the navigation links.
Code validity and accessibility compliance
XHTML 1.0 Strict
XHTML, or the eXtensible HyperText Markup Language, is the latest HyperText Markup Language (HTML) standard to be issued from the W3C. Based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML), XHTML looks to formalize web content such that it can be more easily integrated into a variety of applications and devices. Though XHTML 1.1 has been formalized, we are remaining at XHTML 1.0 Strict, in an effort to reflect the future of this technology while remaining compatible with as much of our viewing audience as possible.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheet, technology is rapidly becoming the primary means of establishing a formalized class-based inherited system of HTML formatting. Rather than relying on cumbersome (and often unsupported) attributes within every HTML tag, CSS-powered web pages have cleaner code and more consistent style as well as simplifying the processes of design and maintenance. While this site uses CSS Level 2 for many of its effects, CSS Level 1 is sufficient to properly view the primary layout, and no data is lost in the event that a browser is unaware of CSS in any form.
Compliance to the W3C web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are an attempt to encourage both web site and user-agent designers to create and display information in a manner that is widely accessible. These recommendations include issues such as providing useful information to limited-capacity agent programs such as the text-only browser Lynx or possible cellular phone browsers. Additionally, consideration is given to viewers with disabilities - sites that do not rely solely on colour or images to visually distinguish content and may be easily and comprehensively parsed by a text-reader for those with reading or sight difficulties, for example.