Accessibility

Accessibility Commitment

At NorthStar, we want to make it as easy as possible for anyone to access the information they need. As part of this commitment, we want to make sure the content and layout of our website is accessible, easy to navigate and easy to use.

We have designed the NorthStar website with particular reference to the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines, and have incorporated key accessibility features.

Text and Image Size

All text and images on the NorthStar website have been designed to be easily read and viewed on all screen sizes.

Most browsers support page zooming to increase the size of text and images should this be required. This is usually achieved by holding the ‘CTRL’ key and pressing ‘+’ or ‘-‘ on your keyboard on a Windows PC and the ‘Command’ key and pressing ‘+’ or ‘-‘ on your keyboard on an Apple Mac . Mobile browsers typically allow ‘pinch zoom’ features to achieve text and image resizing.

Responsive Design

The NorthStar website incorporates a ‘responsive design‘. This means that the content within the website dynamically changes depending on the type of device and size of screen used to view it. The site should therefore provide the optimum viewing experience in all circumstances.

Third-party Software Compatibility

We have designed the NorthStar website so that it should be compatible with all major third-party software to support the visually impaired. This includes:

• Screen readers
• Speech recognition software
• Browser screen magnifiers
• Speech and other assistive technology built into operating systems
  
  
  

Browser Compatibility

We continually test and validate the NorthStar website to ensure ongoing compatibility with most major web browsers.

We strongly recommend that you use the most up-to-date version of your preferred browser to view the NorthStar website.

Browser Accessibility Options

Most major browsers have several accessibility options to further enhance websites where required. Features typically include the removal of colours, increasing contrast levels, keyboard navigation, magnification and font substitution.
These features are usually accessed through the browser ‘options’ or ‘settings’ menu under ‘accessibility’.

Key Accessibility Factors

To ensure the best possible website viewing experience, we have incorporated the following key accessibility features into the NorthStar website:

• A standard, highly legible typeface throughout
• Clear, descriptive hyperlinks
• Contrasting colour palettes
• No use of flash or other web technologies that may cause incompatibility with screen readers and other accessibility software
• Cross-browser compatibility
• Responsive design throughout
• Regular accessibility audits
• Minimal use of small text sizes
• Use of menus to provide clear, simple navigation
• Sitemap to show website layout
  
  
  

Accessibility Feedback

We are keen to hear from you if you have any issues with the accessibility of the NorthStar website. If you do, or have any other comments or suggestions about improving the accessibility of the site, please use our site feedback contact form . Alternatively, please contact us to let us know what you think.