Accessibility
Our web accessibility principles
We want visitors to the Sussex Police website to be able to
contact and engage with us through the site regardless of their
ability, age, language or background.
This page explains the web accessibility principles we aim for. If
you're looking for practical help in using this site, visit our site help.
Who do you consider when you create content for the
site?
Whenever we create content for our site we consider the needs
of:
- People with visual or hearing impairments
- People with reading difficulties such as dyslexia
- People whose mother tongue is not English
- People from different cultural and socio-economic
backgrounds
- People from different generations.
What sort of practical help do you offer to
users?
There are a number of ways in which we support the site's
users:
- Providing text-based help with using the site: offering
help and advice to guide users in making the most of our site and
customising their computers.
- Giving real-time help to users: by using the Live Help function
(available during working hours) users can ask for online help from
a member of our contact team. Our staff will guide them to the
information they need within the site.
- Designing our site for use with assistive technologies:
checking that our media work well with technologies such as
software that reads pages aloud.
- Following standards: the website should follow accessibility
standards in subject matter, writing style, design and coding.
These standards include the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.
- Innovating: looking for new ways of offering media in an
accessible way to help the communities of Sussex and beyond to
engage with us.
How do you make sure the site overall is easy to
use?
We ensure the site is useable in the following ways:
- Helping users to control the size of text using their browser
settings.
- Using a font which is easy to read.
- Ensuring there is a suitable colour contrast between the
foreground and the background of each page.
- Using clear and
simple grammar.
- Describing each picture and photo used on the site in words
too.
- Providing simple, consistent site navigation.
- Ensuring the target (or destination) for each link is
described.
- Providing an easy to use site map.
- Providing navigational shortcuts for users of text only
browsers and page readers.
- Using the best technology possible to display the site on
different devices.
How can I tell you if I have problems with the
site?
We test the content and functions of our site to make sure that a
range of users can access the information they need.
In addition, we welcome your feedback about your
experience of the site and we will try hard to solve problems as we
become aware of them.
Let us know if there are things you find difficult, if you have
problems with a particular page or if you have constructive
feedback. Use our website feedback form
to tell us your comments.
Where else can I find out more?
There are many websites which offer more information about making
the web easier to use. Some also offer free software to
download.