Q: What is accessibility and why does it matter?

A: To be accessible the MultiSense Communications website must be as easy to use and understand for as many visitors as possible. We comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C's) Level A guidelines for accessibility and we are committed to improving.

Q: Can I change font sizes and the colours of the website?

A: Yes. This may be useful for you if you have low vision, and need larger fonts or high contrast colours. You can change the font size, style and colour, and choose an alternative colour for links. You can also change background and foreground colours.

Q: How do I do that on a PC?

A: If using Internet Explorer on a PC, select the View menu at the top of your window. To change font size, scroll down and select the Text size option. To ignore font and background colours choose the Internet options from the Tools menu at the top of the window. On the general tab of the window that appears, click the Accessibility button. This takes you to a menu where you can choose to ignore the way the page is formatted. Then return to the Internet options menu, and use the Colours and Fonts buttons to set your preferences.

Q: How do I do change text size on an Apple Mac?

A: From Internet Explorer, select Preferences from the Edit menu at the top of the window. From there, click on Web content and uncheck the Show style sheets option. Then return to the list of preferences and choose Web browser. Then click on Language/fonts and choose the size you need.

Q: Do I have to use a mouse to navigate the MultiSense Communications website?

A: No. Use your arrow keys to scroll up or down the page. You can use your Tab key to move between links, and press Return or Enter to select one. To go back to the previous page, use the Backspace key.

Q: Is the MultiSense Communications website speech enabled?

A: Yes, follow the link to the Browsealoud site. Browsealoud is a Windows application and can be used with Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape Navigator 4 upwards. Simply click on the logo to switch on the reader and follow the set up instructions. If you have any problems, there is a page which sets out full instructions on installing and uninstalling Browsealoud. When installed, position your cursor at the start of a paragraph and it will start to read automatically. To stop the reader at any point, simply press the Ctrl key.

Browsealoud
Browsealoud Full Instructions

Q: Why speech enable the website?

A: Speech enabling is not designed to replace screen readers for the blind. It provides an additional way of accessing our content for other people who may find it hard to read the website. They include those with dyslexia or learning difficulties, those for whom English is not their first language, or those with mild visual impairment. To help those using it, Browsealoud will highlight each word as it reads.

Q: Can I customise Browsealoud?

A: Yes. Once installed, look for the Browsealoud icon in your system tray, which is usually at the bottom right hand corner of your screen. Right click on the icon and choose 'open Browsealoud settings' from the menu that appears. The speech tab on the settings window enables you to choose a male or female voice, and change the speed, pitch and volume of the reader. To read the entire page from where your cursor points, check the 'Continue reading from pointer' box. Otherwise Browsealoud will only read the individual sentences you point to. Additional voices can be installed from the speech engines page on the Browsealoud website.

Browsealoud Speech Engines

A: You can stop Browsealoud reading the page at any point by pressing your 'Ctrl' key.

Q: Why does Browsealoud read some PDFs on the MultiSense Communications website, but not others?

A: Browsealoud will read documents in Adobe Acrobat Version 6.0, but not previous versions. From November 2004 we will endeavour to ensure that all new PDFs are in Version 6.0.

Q: Why won't Browsealoud read the file I have downloaded?

A: What format is the file? If your PDF is not being read, it is probably in an older version of Adobe. Although we cannot update this, all our PDFs will be in Adobe Acrobat Version 6.0. Browsealoud won't read documents produced in other file formats.

Q: How can I uninstall Browsealoud?

A: Full instructions on installing and uninstalling can be found on Browsealoud's website.

Q: Is there anything I can do to make PDF documents more accessible?

A: Useful information about services to make Acrobat documents more accessible is provided on Adobe's website.

Adobe Acrobat Support
Adobe Accessibility

Q: What formats are downloadable documents provided in?

A: Downloadable documents on the MultiSense Communications site are provided in a variety of formats. The most common are PDF, Word and Excel.

Q: What if I don't have the software to open the document?

A: Most computers already have the software to open these document formats. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader (for reading PDFs), it is available from the Adobe site.

Q: How do I save documents to my computer?

A: If you have a PC, right-click on the link to the document. If you use a Macintosh, hold down the mouse button over the link. In both cases, a popup menu will then appear. Scroll down the menu and click on ‘Save target as'. You will then be asked to choose a folder on your computer where you can save the document.