Accessiblity Statement

Accessibility Statement

At Boston College we are working towards complying with the priorities as defined at W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Improvements will me made continually to meet these guidelines. Our website has been designed with the following accessibility guidelines in mind:

Our pages are designed so that they can be viewed at a screen resolution of 800 x 600 pixels.
Page structure is conveyed using header elements.
A stylesheet is used on our website and relative font sizes on all text with the exception of graphical text.
Text can be increased or decreased in size by using the "view" option in your browser.
Images that convey important information have alternative text. Where an image is used for a decorative purpose the alternative text will be left blank.
No information is exclusively conveyed using colour.
A site map is available to provide information about the layout of the website.

Text only or original view

Our site is designed so that it is accessible by all. If at any time you wish to view the sites content without any of the design elements you can choose to view in text only format, this option is available as a link in the top left corner of the page. You may also switch back to the original view at any time.

Increasing text size

Some users might find screen text easier to read by increasing the size at which text is displayed. To do this you should adjust your browser's settings.

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the View menu, select Text Size and then either Larger or Largest.
If you use Mozilla, go to the View menu, select Text Size and select Increase as many times as you wish.
If you use Opera, go to the View menu, select Zoom and select one of the options over 100%.
If you use Netscape Navigator, go to the View menu and choose Increase Font until the text is the size you require.

Or you can choose our four different preset sizes:

Changing colours

Changing the site's background colour can be particularly useful for users who rely on magnification technology as white can produce an uncomfortable glare. It is also possible to change the colour of body text on the site. Both can be achieved by changing preferences in your browser:

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu, select Internet Options, select Colors and make changes to text and background colours in the Colors panel.
If you use Mozilla, go to Tools, select Options and General. From here you will be able to change colours and other settings.
If you use Opera, go to File, select Preferences and Fonts. Double click on the text you want to edit the colour of. To edit the background colour, go to File, then Preferences and select Page style. You can edit the background colour and other settings from here
If you use Netscape Navigator, go to the Edit menu, select Preferences, open the Appearance menu and select Colors. You can set the colour of text and background from here

Access keys

Access keys have been included to assist users with disabilities when navigating their way through the web site. Essentially keyboard shortcuts, access keys provide quick and easy access to common pages without the need for a mouse. At present, only the following browsers support the use of access keys:

Internet Explorer 4+ (Windows) 5+ (Mac)
Mozilla (Windows and Linux)
Netscape 6+ (Windows)

Windows based computers

Pressing "ALT" and the access key will give focus to that specific link on the page. If you press Return ("ENTER"), you will then be taken to that page.

Macintosh based computers

Pressing "CMD" and the access key will automatically send you to that specific page.

The access keys used on this site are:

0	Accessibility (this page)
1	Home Page
2	What's New
3	Site Index
4	Search - positions the cursor in the search text box
5	Toggle Between Text Only and Normal View
6	Listen To The Page
8	Terms and conditions
9	Contact Us
A	Apply Now
S	Skip Navigation - goes to the main heading at the top of the page