Using our website
Scottish Widows Bank is committed to making its products and services available to everyone. The site uses features operable on screenreader software and computer screens. Copies of our literature can be provided in large print or in braille and additional assistance is available to any customer upon request.
If you have any special requirements please contact our Customer Services staff in the first instance on 0845 757 3444*.
* Open 8am to 9pm weekdays for Savings and Policy Loans (Wednesdays from 10am), 8am to 7pm weekdays for Mortgages (Wednesdays from 10am).
Accessibility
To ensure
we are as accessible as possible we have made significant changes
to achieve a Conformance Level "AA" of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines on scottishwidows.co.uk
Accessibility features
We have introduced
the following features to ensure the best use of our site by all
of our users.
Access keys
Most browsers
support jumping to specific links by typing keys defined on the web
site.
On Windows, press ALT + an access key, on a Macintosh, press Control + an access key.
All pages utilise the following access keys:
s - Jump to main site navigation page
1 - Jump to Jargon Translator
2 - Jump to main page content
3 - Jump to Site map
4 - Jump to site search
8 - Jump to Terms and Conditions
On Windows, press ALT + an access key, on a Macintosh, press Control + an access key.
All pages utilise the following access keys:
s - Jump to main site navigation page
1 - Jump to Jargon Translator
2 - Jump to main page content
3 - Jump to Site map
4 - Jump to site search
8 - Jump to Terms and Conditions
Navigation
A hidden
menu has been placed at the beginning of each page to allow screen
reader users to link to the main areas of the page.
A hidden link has also been provided at the beginning of each page to provide easy access to information on accessibility.
A hidden link has also been provided at the beginning of each page to provide easy access to information on accessibility.
Headings and navigation menus
HTML heading
tags are used to convey document structure. H1 tags are used for
main titles, H2 tags for subtitles etc.
Navigation menus are marked up as HTML lists. This ensures that the number of links in the list is read out at the start and it can be skipped easily.
All images have alternative text for screenreaders, browsers which don't display images or browsers set not to display images.
All links have tool-tips. Where duplicate links occur on a page they access the same content. Accessibility keys have been included to aid accessibility (see above). Where a link opens an additional browser window, this is made explicit.
All labelling seeks to make sense out of context with its surrounding content.
Navigation menus are marked up as HTML lists. This ensures that the number of links in the list is read out at the start and it can be skipped easily.
All images have alternative text for screenreaders, browsers which don't display images or browsers set not to display images.
All links have tool-tips. Where duplicate links occur on a page they access the same content. Accessibility keys have been included to aid accessibility (see above). Where a link opens an additional browser window, this is made explicit.
All labelling seeks to make sense out of context with its surrounding content.
Colours
We have taken
care to ensure that the site's font and background colour combinations
contrast significantly and are effective in ensuring information
is still clear when viewed in different colour combinations.
If you wish to override the site's colours, you can do this by changing your browser settings to your own preference.
If you wish to override the site's colours, you can do this by changing your browser settings to your own preference.
Font size
Most of the
font sizes we use on our site are sizable. You can change the font
size to make it either larger or smaller via your browser settings.
You can change the font size in the following ways depending on your browser;
You can change the font size in the following ways depending on your browser;
- In Internet Explorer; select View, then Text Size, and then your preferred size.
- In Firefox; select View, then Text Size, and then increase or decrease to your preferred size.
Stylesheets
This site
uses cascading style sheets for all visual layout. If your browser
or browsing device does not support stylesheets at all, the use of
structured semantic mark up ensures that the content of each page
is still readable and clearly structured.
You can apply your own stylesheet onto this website by;
Internet Explorer
select Tools, then Internet Options, then Accessibility, next click on any or all 3 checkboxes to ignore colours, font styles or font sizes, in the same window you can change your style sheet by clicking the checkbox that says, 'format document using my style sheet' then browse to your style sheet and click OK.
In Firefox
select Tools, then Options and then select General, where you can specify your own colours and fonts.
You can apply your own stylesheet onto this website by;
Internet Explorer
select Tools, then Internet Options, then Accessibility, next click on any or all 3 checkboxes to ignore colours, font styles or font sizes, in the same window you can change your style sheet by clicking the checkbox that says, 'format document using my style sheet' then browse to your style sheet and click OK.
In Firefox
select Tools, then Options and then select General, where you can specify your own colours and fonts.
JavaScript
The use of
Java script has been kept to a minimum. Where it is used, most content
is still accessible if Javascript is turned off.
Useful links:
If you would
like to know more about accessibility and the Internet, you may be
interested in the following websites:
- RNIB
website - The Royal National Institute for the Blind
- W3C
accessibility guidelines
- British
Computer Association of the Blind
- BBC
web pages specially constructed to improve clarity for visually
impaired users. The website also includes other useful links
- The
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)
- JAWS - a screen reader for use with Windows.
- Lynx - a free text-only web browser for blind users with refreshable Braille displays.
- Links - a free text-only web browser for visual users with low bandwidth.
