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Welcome to the accessibility and short-cuts' page

Gencat.net, accessible to citizens

The design of the Generalitat web offers easy access and aims to guarantee universal access to knowlwdge and the information society

The Generalitat, in line with the contents of the document "e-Europe: An Information Society for All", wishes to provide a practical tool which promotes and guarantees equality of access and management of on-line information for those with the greatest difficulties to access this information (sensorially or physically handicapped/disabled or with technological barriers).   In order to guaranee this access, all pages have been tested and recommendations from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), the National Federation of the Blind and the Spanish National Federation of the Blind (ONCE) have been taken into account.

Accessibility Norms

Within the framework of collaboration between the Generalitat and the Spanish National Federation of the Blind, ONCE, a number of analytical projects concerning barriers to on-line information have been carried out which have allowed the design of the Generalitat portal according to the norms of accessibility deatiled below:
Links with submenu indication: Indicates that the link connects to deeper level, at which the user will have to choose between a number of options.   When the link does not indicate submenus, the link will give direct access to the desired information.
Focus point: When a user clicks on a link, the first part of the corresponding contents will be opened and the first navigation option will allow a direct access to the contents, thus avoiding having to pass through the other menu options.
Page back:   The Alt and left arrow buttons can be used twice to go to the previous page.   Alternatively, other combinations, as indicated in the Keyboard Shortcuts section, can be used.
Hidden text: when either the information displayed on the page is mainly visual, or when because of its design, there might be accessibility problems, hidden text is used as a resource to avail relevant information.
Direct access to principal navigation options: places the focus on the specific links belonging to the chosen page.
Direct access to web map: places the focus on the map.
Direct access to ministries: places the focus on the government ministries links.
Direct access to search: places the focus on the editable field for writing the search parameters.
 

Keyboard Shortcut keys  

We have designed some key short-cuts to access to the most likely useful links and spaces on the web page. The defined keys are combined with alt left key and they only work when using Internet Explorer.
Additionally, there have been avoided those combinations that either in Catalan, Spanish or English may conflict with Windows, Explorer, Netscape or the most commonly used screen access software programs.

Short-cut keys (available in all pages of Gencat.Net):

• Go to contents:  alt q
• Go to main navigation options:  alt m    
• Go to accessibility and short-cuts page:  alt b    
• Go to beginning of page:  alt o    
• Go to edit search:  alt r    
• Go to web map:  alt p    
• Generalitat's home page:  alt g  
• Changing the text size  
• In order to facilitate comfortable reading of the texts, we offer the option of changing the text size on our website.In the top right corner of each page, you will find the button marked "font size" and next to it, three options: medium size (font 11),  large size (font 14) and maxi-size (font 17).Once a text size has been selected, it   will remain the same on all the other pages visited on our website, although it may changed whenever required.

Navigation

• Details of how to use the different navigation features are outlined below:
• The logo located at the top left of the page is a direct link to the homepage of the Generalitat.
• Scroll-down menus have been used throughout to facilitate access to all parts of this website.
• Links are highlighted when the cursor passes over them and change colour once the associated page has been visited.
• A key is provided to give information about icons found on the website.

Compatability

• Minimum requirements are a 15" screen with a resolutiuon of 800 x 600 and a colour depth of "millions of colours".
• Browsers should be the following versions or later:
     Internet Explorer v5.X
     Netscape v6..X
•  We welcome  e-mails  with any suggestions on the improvement of this web.