Instructions for Microsoft Windows Internet explorer users

Advanced options that make Internet Explorer more accessible

Internet Explorer has a variety of advanced accessibility options. Here's how to turn them on:

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
2. Select from the following options:      
   

   Always expand ALT text for images

   Select this check box to display all of the text that is associated with an image. This is useful if you have turned pictures off and rely on a screen reader to describe images.

   Move system caret with focus/selection changes

   If you use a screen reader, you can use this option to move the insertion point as the focus changes. Some screen readers or screen magnifiers use the insertion point or system caret to determine which area of the screen to read or magnify.

   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 under the Browsing section.

   Show pictures and Play animations in webpages

   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 in webpages

   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.                                                                                                   

3. When you are finished making changes, click OK.

Customize the font size, formatting, and screen colours

You can specify the font type and size and the foreground and background colours that are used to display webpages. You can also specify the colour used for links in webpages.

These customizations are useful if you have low vision, need larger fonts, or need high-contrast colours.

For more information, see below.

Change the colours used for webpages

You can choose the colours that Internet Explorer uses for webpage text, backgrounds, and links.

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab, and then click Colours.
3. Clear the Use Windows colours check box.
4. Do any of the following:

To change the colour that is used for text, click the box to the right of Text, click the colour you would like to use for text, and then click OK.

To change the colour that is displayed in the background, click the box to the right of Background, click the colour you would like to use, and then click OK.

To change the colour used for links you have already visited, click the box to the right of Visited, click the colour you want to be used for visited links, and then click OK.

To change the colour used for links you have not visited, click the box to the right of Unvisited, click the colour you want to be used for unvisited links, and then click OK.

To change the colour that a link will become when you point at it, select the Use hover colour check box, click the box to the right of Hover, click the colour you would like links to change to when the mouse pointer hovers over them, and then click OK.

1. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Change webpage text size

You can make webpages easier to read by changing the text size. If you change the text size, graphics and controls will remain in their original size but the text size will change.

To change webpage text size

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Page button, click Text Size, and then click the size you want.

To display webpage text in a different font

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Fonts.
3. In the Webpage font and Plain text font lists, click the fonts you want.
4. Click OK twice.

Override website font and colour settings

If you want to have the fonts and colours you specify in Internet Explorer to be used for all websites, regardless of the fonts that have been set by the website designer, follow these steps.

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Accessibility.
3. Select the Ignore colours specified on webpages, Ignore font styles specified on webpages, and Ignore font sizes specified on webpages check boxes, and then click OK twice.

For more information visit the Microsoft Help and Support site at: http://www.support.microsoft.com/   

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