Accessibility

We're making every effort to make the Enterprising Women website accessible and easy to use for everyone, no matter what browser you choose to use, and whether or not you have any disabilities.

The site's layout takes into account users who are blind or visually impaired. We aim to make it increasingly compatible with popular screen reading software. If you have difficulties using a mouse, the site will be navigable using only a keyboard.

In technical language, we strive to make all pages on this site will be valid to Hyper Text XML (XHTML) 1.0 Transitional and use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We aim to make this website conform to the UK government guidelines for websites and the Worldwide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.

Creating and maintaining an accessible site is an ongoing process and we are continually working to create a user friendly experience. Our next enhancements will be improved screen reader support and access keys.

Help with PDF files

The PDF file format is a common internet file format (PDF stands for Portable Document Format) and you will find PDF files on some pages of this site.

It's used for electronic distribution because it faithfully preserves the look and feel of the original document complete with fonts, colours, images, and layout. It also can be used across many different types of computers and browsers.

Opening PDF files

To open a PDF file you have two options.

  1. You can download a program called Acrobat Reader and install it onto your computer. The program is available free of charge from the Adobe Acrobat site. Because the download is large – typically between 8MB and 16MB – you may find it easier to find a copy of the program on one of the CDs distributed by computer magazines. Click here to download Adobe reader.
  2. The second option is to use an online PDF conversion tool. You can visit the Adobe Acrobat website, type in the address of a PDF file and get it to translate the file into a more readable format while you wait. Or you can email the address of the file (or the file itself) to Adobe, and they will email a translation back. These translations of the files may not be as clearly formatted as the original PDF file. Click here to convert a PDF file online.

PDF files and browsers

You can configure your web browser to open PDF files either within the browser window or in a separate Adobe Acrobat window. There are detailed instructions on the Acrobat website on how to do so for different browsers (for example, here's a link to how to do it for Internet Explorer.

Are PDF files accessible?

PDF file standards have improved over the years and have become more accessible through technologies like screen readers, navigation through the keyboard and enhanced screen viewing. The Adobe site provides information on how best to use these features. You may come across earlier versions of PDF files which are not so accessible.

How do I search a PDF file?

When you open a PDF file an Acrobat toolbar will appear, featuring a number of tools to help you view and search the document. Running your mouse over the icons, without clicking, will tell you what each of them does. The Search tool will search the document for a word or phrase.

Recommended browsers

Enterprising Women has been tested on a range of browsers (see the list below). Later versions of these browsers should generally work to at least the same level as earlier versions.

Windows (Windows 98 and Windows XP)

  • MS Internet Explorer 6.0
  • Firefox 1.5

Macintosh (MacOS X Panther/10.3 and Tiger/10.4)

  • Safari 1.3 and 2.0
  • Firefox 1.5

Other browsers

This website has been designed to support as wide a variety of browser and operating system combinations as possible. If you are not using one of the browsers above you should be able to access the site and use the pages but it might not display the site as designed, nor provide you with the best experience of using the website.

Upgrading browsers

We would recommend upgrading your browser as far as your computer allows. Later versions of browsers often have higher levels of security and better functions.

Most browser suppliers will allow you to upgrade for free. Visit the browser's website to find out about the latest versions and to download them. Browser downloads are very large; many browsers are also available on CDs such as those distributed by computer magazines.

Why doesn't my browser display the website properly?

In order to support as wide a range of browsers as possible and allow users of all abilities (including those with a visual impairment or physical disability) to access this website, it has been developed according to recognised standards set down by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

One of these standards is for the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS2) so that the site supports any browser that in turn supports this standard. Some browsers, particularly earlier versions, either do not or only partially support, this standard. These browsers might not display the text and graphics properly.

Screen resolutions

You can set your computer to display different screen resolutions. Enterprising Women has been designed to work best in 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768 pixel resolutions.

For information on adjusting the display resolution try the help files in your operating system or consult the manufacturer's website.

Screen colours

Depending on your computer you can also control the number of colours displayed on your screen. Enterprising Women looks best with at least 16-bit colour (65,356 colours or thousands of colours depending on your operating system).