Website accessibility

Bedfordshire County Council is committed to making this website as accessible as possible, to all people, whether you have a disability or find it hard to use the internet for another reason.

We aim for our website to meet the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) “Double-A” standard, and have implemented procedures to make sure our site meets this standard. You can find out more about WAI and the guidelines we follow to try to achieve the "Double-A" rating by visiting the WAI website| (external link).

We monitor our website and make improvements wherever possible. This includes carrying out automatic and manual tests.

If you have any comments about how we can make our website more accessible please contact us at feedback@bedscc.gov.uk|

Text only version

You can access a text only version of most of our web pages by clicking on the text only link in the top left-hand corner of the website.

Text size

If you find the text on the website illegible you can increase the text size in your browser settings. For example if you are using Internet Explorer go to View > Text size and then select an appropriate text size (e.g. Larger or Largest).

Documents

The majority of downloadable documents on the Bedfordshire County Council website are in PDF format. To view a PDF document you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website| (external link). 

Access keys

We have implemented the Government standard access key system to help you move around the site without using a mouse or similar device.

Different browsers use access keys in different ways.  Users will generally need to hold down a key or two, and then press the access key you want.

Browsers for PCs

Firefox 2: Hold down the SHIFT key and the ALT key and then press the number of the access key
Firefox 1.5 for PCs: Hold down the ALT key and press the number of the access key
Opera 9: Hold SHIFT and the ESC key and the list of access keys will appear.
Internet Explorer 5+: Hold down the ALT key, press the number of the access key, release both keys then press ENTER
Internet Explorer 4: Hold down the ALT key and press the number of the access key
Netscape 7: Hold down the ALT key and press the number of the access key
Netscape 6+: Hold down the ALT key and select the number/letter of the access key
Netscape earlier versions: Access keys are not supported

Browsers for Macs

Firefox 2: Hold down the SHIFT key and the ALT key and then press the number of the access key
Firefox 1.5: Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key
Safari: Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key
Opera 9: Hold SHIFT and the ESC key and the list of access keys will appear.
Internet Explorer 5+: Hold down the CTRL key and press the number of the access key
Internet Explorer 4.5: Access keys are not supported

Access keys on the Bedfordshire County Council website

S - Skip navigation
1 - Home page
2 - Newsroom
3 - Site map
6 - Help
7 - Complaints
8 - Terms and conditions
9 - Feedback form
0 - Access key details

Skip navigation on any given page allows you to bypass the navigation areas and go directly to that page's main content.

We will be adding access keys as the website grows.