Accessibility

Information on the Accessibility standards of the Gov.im website, practical help with your computer and your web browser.

The Isle of Man Government has numerous on-going and planned initiatives with regard to Disability, it is moving towards making the Isle of Man as disabled friendly as possible.

We will be working towards making Gov.im accessible and easy to use for everyone, no matter what browser you choose to use, and whether or not you have disabilities.

BrowseAloud

This website is speech-enabled, which means that you can download free software onto your personal computer and have the site read aloud to you. The free software is called "Browsealoud", and is used on over 2000 websites in the UK and USA.

Browsealoud is now a zero install solution and can be easily downloaded onto a PC or a USB keydrive and used anywhere. Browsealoud highlights each word as it is spoken to aid comprehension, improve reading and show users where they are on the page.

When you install the browsealoud plugin onto your PC, you can have the web pages on the Isle of Man Government website read to you (and other sites that are speech-enabled - these are listed on the Browsealoud site).

Why we have speech enabled our websites?

Speech enabling the Government websites provides an additional way of accessing our content for people who find it hard to read. This includes those with dyslexia or learning difficulties, those for whom English is not their first language, or anyone with a mild visual impairment. It is not designed to replace other screen readers.

What is Browsealoud?

Browsealoud is a solution that allows you to have website content read to you. As you move the cursor over text, it is spoken aloud. Browsealoud is free to download and you have control over the voice, word pronunciations and speech highlighting.

How does it work?

You download a free, small browser plug-in. Once the plug-in has been installed, content on this site can be spoken aloud. Browsealoud will read every webpage on our site. It can also read pdfs in Adobe Reader Version 6.0 onwards. This meets the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C's) Level A guidelines for accessibility.

Can browsealoud be customised?

Yes. Once plugged in, look for the browsealoud icon in your system tray, which is usually at the bottom right hand corner of your screen (beside the system clock). Right click on the icon and choose 'open browsealoud settings' from the menu. 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.

For further help and assistance with the Browsealoud product take a look at the Browsealoud FAQs on their website or view this flyer.

Browsealoud have just launched version 6, giving new functionality including:

• New easy-access floating toolbar (improves access to our most popular features)
• Spoken translation into EU languages (select a word and have it read back to your native language)
• Add custom dictionary definitions for your site
• Screen masking to assist those with visual impairments
• Larger sized option panel
• Improved PDF reading
• Create MP3 files which can be hosted on your site
• Instant Speech feedback with no delays
• Reads Secure Sites with a High Quality Voice
• Reads Intranets with a High Quality Voice
• Firewall friendly

Continued Browsealoud Functionality

• Dual Colour Highlighting
• Text Magnification Display
• MP3 Output
• Talking Dictionary
• International Languages
• Reads PDFs in their original format
• Reads Accessible Flash and Alt Tags

Downloading browsealoud

You can download the new version of Browsealoud at: www.browsealoud.com/downloads and you will find full instructions to carry out the download and installation. A browsealoud icon will be placed in your system tray which is at the bottom right of your browser.

Accessibility Standards

The whole of the Government web site does not currently comply with an accessibility standard. The Department of Health and Social Security pages are all W3C compliant, making all their web content accessible to people with disabilities.

The link to information on access for the Isle of Man is www.disabledgo.info this site is W3C compliant and can be listened to, graphics version, black on white, white on black or text.

Practical help with your computer

The text on all pages of the website can be enlarged to Font 14 on your browser by using the View then Text Size tab, all images can be removed and it can be in white on black.

Useful Links

The Tynwald Advisory Council for Disabilities (TACD)

The Tynwald Advisory Council for Disabilities (TACD) is an independent body established in the Isle of Man under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1981 (an Act of Tynwald), as amended. Section 9(2) of the Act states:

‘(2) The Advisory Council shall consist of 5 members, as follows–

1. 2 members of Tynwald appointed by the Council of Ministers, subject to the approval of Tynwald, one of whom shall be appointed by the Advisory Council as chairman;
2. 3 persons, not being members of Tynwald, appointed by the Council of Ministers, subject to the approval of Tynwald, as representatives of interested statutory or voluntary welfare organisations with experience of work among, and the special needs of, chronically sick or disabled persons and including, if practicable, a disabled person or persons with that experience.’

The change of name from ‘Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Committee’ to ‘Tynwald Advisory Council for Disabilities’ was approved by Tynwald and came into effect on 1st July 2009. More information is available on their website: http://www.tacd.im/ or email: tacdenquiries@manx.net

Other Areas that may be of interest

The Department of Health and Social Security have pages covering Learning Disabilities to the Disabled Persons section.

Manx Sport and Recreation is committed to assisting people with disabilities and the Disability in Sports information page has been created to achieve this aim.

Isle of Man Airport have a page dedicated to Disabled Travellers, and covers all aspect to help meet your travel needs.

The Employment Rights section of the Department of Trade and Industry covers disability in the work place in their Equality at work web page.

The Department of Transport's Highways Division covers information required to obtain Reserved Parking Places and Permits for disabled persons.

The Manx Foundation for the Physically Disabled and The Disability Access Office are also available to assist you.