Accessibility

Introduction

On these pages you can find out how best to find the information you want on this site, how to access downloadable documents and audio, video and Flash content, how best to view this website and a list of affiliated websites.

Please read the terms and conditions for information about hyperlinking, copyright and other issues around use of the site.
If you have any comments on this site, please contact web@artscouncil.org.uk or by telephoning 020 7973 5225. The websites www.artscouncil.org.uk, www.arts.org.uk, www.swa.co.uk and www.eastenglandarts.org have merged and information covering all of the regions is now available at www.artscouncil.org.uk. This information is being reviewed, and we will be adding to it over the coming months. If you are unable to find what you want, please contact web@artscouncil.org.uk, or your regional office.

Finding the information you want

You can search for information using keywords, or you can use the sitemap to find the right section of the website.

If you have difficulties finding the information you are looking for on this site please contact web@artscouncil.org.uk or get in touch with your regional office.

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Accessing downloadable documents

Documents are available to download from this site in a number of formats: Rich Text Format (.rtf), Portable Document Format (.pdf) and Word (.doc). All documents available to download from this website should have the file size of the document and the format in brackets after the document's title. If you have difficulty accessing a downloadable document please contact web@artscouncil.org.uk. Most word processing programs allow you to view a Rich Text Format document.

To view a Portable Document Format document, you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader program which is available free of charge from the Adobe website at http://www.adobe.co.uk. Adobe also offer a number of online conversion tools at http://www.adobe.com/products/. Wherever possible we have provided a number of alternative formats for documents.

To view a Word document you should have either a version of Word or one of the free Word readers available from Microsoft. Microsoft's Word reader software is available from www.microsoft.com.

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Accessing audio and video content

To play audio and video content you will need RealPlayer. The free RealOne Player and its predecessor RealPlayer 8 can be downloaded from the Real.com website. Please study the information below before deciding which version of RealPlayer to install.

Windows 98/2000, ME, NT4, XP

Macintosh OS X

Windows 95

Macintosh OS 8 or OS 9

If RealPlayer is not working check your connection to the internet and make sure your computer has a soundcard installed. If your computer is part of a company network and protected by a firewall you will not receive RealMedia content unless you set up your player to access it via a proxy server. Go to the RealPlayer preferences, select the proxy tab and enter the address of the server where required. You should contact your system administrator or ISP for more details of this address.

Occasionally you may receive error messages when connecting to audio or video clips. A 'No DNS entry' error means that RealPlayer cannot locate the server that you are trying to connect to. In this case, check that the link address is valid and ends with a .ram or .ra extension.

A DNS error or deterioration in the quality of the sound or picture can happen when RealPlayer does not receive enough data to maintain a connection to the server. This is generally caused during periods of very high traffic on the internet or local area network. These periods may only last for a short time - try accessing the files again later on.

To optimise your listening and viewing experience the Arts Council have created SureStream RealMedia files for 56k and mid-broadband connection speeds. SureStream RealMedia files automatically use the correct stream based on your connection speed. All streams are contained within a single RealMedia file.

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Accessing Flash content

To play Flash content you will need the Macromedia Flash Player. The free player can be downloaded from the Macromedia website.

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Screen resolution and browsers

This website is best viewed on a screen showing at least 256 colours with the resolution set to 800 by 600. For best viewing, your browser should have images, javascript and CSS1 and 2 turned on. Should any of these be unavailable, however, you should still be able to find the information you want.

You can download the latest versions of the most commonly-used browsers, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, from http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers or http://www.microsoft.com/windows/.

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Site design and accessibility

This site has been coded to W3C standards, and conforms to level 'Double-A' of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.

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