Accessibility tips and features on the WHO/Europe web site

Finding information on the site

Every page has a search feature on the top right-hand corner to help you find what you are looking for. Simply click in the search area, enter a word or words, and click on the “Search” button (a small arrow next to the search box), or press “Enter” on the keyboard.

Every page has the same tabs at the top, which lead to the main categories of information on the site. The health programme pages also have left-side navigation, or menus, showing the subject areas they cover.

To help pinpoint where you are, there is usually a “breadcrumb” trail at the top of the page (e.g. Programmes and projects > Obesity in Europe). These are clickable links that show the path through the site that leads to the page you are on.

If you want to retrace your own steps, use the “Back” button in your browser (top left).

Using arrow keys to navigate the WHO/Europe web site

It is not necessary to use the mouse to navigate through the WHO/Europe web site. You can use your arrow keys to scroll up or down the page. You can use your tab key to move between links, and press return or enter to select one. To go back to the previous page, use the backspace key.

There are also access keys on this site, which let you navigate the WHO/Europe web site without using your mouse.

Opening PDF documents

To open and read portable document files (PDFs), you need a PDF reader installed on your computer. The most popular is Adobe Reader, which is available free of charge. Once installed, it will enable your computer to read PDF documents.

Converting PDF to web pages

Another way of reading a PDF is by converting it to a web page (referred to as HTML). It can then be read or printed from the screen as plain text without having to use Adobe Acrobat Reader. To convert a PDF, enter its web address (URL) into the text box on the online conversion tools for Adobe PDF documents web site.

How do you find the URL? If you use the mouse to hover over the title of the PDF document that you can see on the screen, the URL will appear at the bottom of your screen. You can make a note of it from there to type out later.

Screen readers and PDF

Adobe PDF documents are compatible with Microsoft Windows-based screen readers. Alternatively, if you have a screen reader that cannot read Adobe PDF documents, use the tool to convert PDFs into web pages.

Useful information about services to make Acrobat documents more accessible is provided on Adobe’s web site.

More accessibility help

Changing your mouse and computer screen settings, plus tips on scrolling using the keyboard and skipping content for screen readers

To change the size of your screen on a computer running Windows XP, go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Settings. You can then change the size of the desktop area up and down using the sliding bar.

In Windows Vista, go to the “Ease of Access Center” by selecting Winkey+U or via the Control Panel link in the Vista Start Menu.

On an Apple Macintosh, you can use the Monitor & Sound Control Panel to change the screen size.

Having difficulty with your keyboard or mouse?

You can fine-tune your mouse and keyboard settings under Start > Settings > Control Panel > Accessibility in Windows 95/98/NT/2000 and XP.

In Windows Vista, go to the “Ease of Access Center” by selecting Winkey+U or via the Control Panel link in the Vista Start Menu.

Having difficulty scrolling using the bar on the right?

Try using the arrow keys on the keyboard to scroll up and down the page. You can also use the ‘Page up’ and ‘Page Down’ keys to move a screen’s length at a time.

Skipping navigation for talking browsers and screen readers

For speech browsers, you can press Alt + S followed by “Enter” to skip navigation on our pages. To return to the home page, press Alt + 1 + Enter, anywhere on the site.

If you are still having trouble, have any queries, or can think of ways in which we at WHO/Europe can improve our site, please contact us.