One of the pillars of accessible web design is using defaults and certain design elements that can be adjusted by the end user. This kind of design permits visitors to adjust font size, contrast, and customize other elements to meet their particular viewing needs. Information on some of our special access features and how to work with custom settings are described below.
Online Forms
On this website there may be online forms and documents in varying formats, including PDF. To ensure accessibility throughout the website, the Department has worked to minimize the use of PDF formats as much as possible. If you require a document or form in a different format, please contact CSD. Please visit the website's Contact Us section for more information on how to contact CSD for a document request.
Alternative Text Tag (ALT Tag)
Screen Readers only read text and are unable to read graphics. When the reader encounters a picture or graphic, the device may only indicate "graphic" and give no further information, unless there is an ALT tag. ALT tags assist users without graphic display terminals, users whose browsers don't support forms, visually impaired users who use speech synthesizers, and those who have configured their graphical user agents not to display images. When the device encounters a graphic, the user will hear a short description of what it is, such as, "picture of person putting on a seat belt," rather than the generic "graphic."
Contrast
High contrast is necessary for many users. CSD's website uses some of the best contrast combinations, black on white or blue on white. Some users can see better using high contrast reverse type, such as white on black. Below are guidelines on how the user can customize his or her own web browser to better view all web pages.
Click on the "Tools" menu. Select "Internet Options." Under the "General" tab, select "Accessibility." Place a check mark in the box to "Ignore colors specified on Web pages" and select the "OK" box. This will return you to the "General" tab. Select the "Colors" box and un-check the "Use Windows Colors" box. Use the "Text" and "Background" boxes to select the colors desired (i.e. white text and black background). Select the "OK" box and then the "OK" box on the "General" tab and the colors should change on the browser.
Select the "Tools" menu. Select "Options". Select the "Content" tab. Select "Colors". Select colors desired for "Text", "Background", "Unvisited Links", and "Visited Links" (example: white text and black background) and uncheck "Allow pages to choose their own colors, instead of my selections above". Select the "OK" box, and then the "OK" box again. The colors should change on the browser.
There are a number of steps you can take to configure Chrome to run with custom contrast and colors:
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Install a Chrome Extension which allows you to specify your own custom color combinations.
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Quick page action to apply/remove styling overrides on a per page, per domain or global basis (overriding Web page colors)
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Optional background, text, links and visited links color configuration
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Option for showing/hiding images
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Option for showing/hiding Flash objects
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Use a Chrome Theme for some control of the color scheme of the Chrome user interface. The Chrome Extensions Gallery offers many other themes, with a variety of color combinations.
Fonts
The fonts used on this site are a default size, which allows you to make adjustments according to your preference. The following is the easiest way to change the font size for the most common web browsers.
Click on the "View" menu. Highlight "Text Size." Default setting will be medium. By changing the settings between largest and smallest, the text displayed on the page will be modified.
Select the "Tools" menu. Select "Options". Select the "Content" tab. Change the "Default Font" and "Size" values (for more advanced options, select "Advanced" next to the "Size" value). Select the "OK" box and the fonts should change on the browser.
Click the Chrome menu and select “Settings”. Click “Show Advanced Settings”. In the “Web Content” section, use the “Font Size” drop down menu to make adjustments.
Graphics
CSD has limited the use of graphics on the site to ease navigation, limit clutter, increase load speed of the site, and eliminate confusion for screen readers and other assistive technology devices our visitors use.
For further assistance, contact
Web.Info@csd.ca.gov.