Accessibility Statement and Instructions

The web pages are consistent with its design and row/column positions all throughout the web site. It uses the 3-row format. The design specifications are as follows:

1. The top most row/bar has the Main Navigation, Skip to Content, Accessibility and Site Map links for easier access. It also has the Logo.
2. The second row is divided into three columns.
   • The first column contains navigational links and other important links such as the following:
   • Outstanding Citizens
   • Statistics
   • Scholarships
   • The second column is composed of:
   • Main Content which includes bread crumbs (bread crumbs is navigation element that allows users to know their current location in the website and offers shortcut links to "jump" to previous categories in a sequence)
   • The third column is composed of:
   • Search
   • Downloadable Forms
   • Web Resources
   • Newsletters/Publications
   • Announcements
   • FAQ
   • School Calendar
3. The third row or the bottom part of the website is composed of the following:
   • SiteMap
   • Contact Us
   • Feedback
   • Disclaimer
   • Archive

Accessibility and usability features

1. Images on the site contain alternative description "alt" tags, which help users with visual impairment who listen to the content of the site by using a screen reader. All content images include descriptive "alt" attributes. Purely decorative graphics include null "alt" attributes.
2. A "skip to content" link is provided to allow users to bypass the repetitive links and headers and go directly to the main content every time a page is accessed (access key 2).
3. Many links have "title" attributes which describe the link in greater detail, unless the text of the link already fully describes the target (such as the headline of an article).
4. There are no "javascript:" pseudo-links. All links can be followed in any browser, even if scripting is turned off.
5. Most web pages are designed to fit many screen sizes.
6. This site uses cascading style sheets for visual layout.
7. Text sizes can be adjusted by the user on most browsers, improving the readability of content to persons with visual impairments.
8. Every page has a link back to homepage
9. At the bottom of every page, Top of page link is provided to allow the user to go to the top of a current page.

Access keys

Most browsers support jumping to specific links by pressing a sequence of keys on the keyboard. On most Windows browsers, you can press ALT + access key then enter; on most Macintosh browsers, you can press CTRL + access key. If the access key is defined on a link, your browser will follow the link once you press Enter (Note: This is for IE6 users. Mozilla and Netscape will automatically render the page after hitting the ALT key plus the corresponding access key). Access keys are keyboard shortcuts that replace the need to use the mouse for navigation in browsers that support them. These are defined because not all users are able to use a mouse, and several alternative browsing devices do not apply a "point and click" interface.

Most pages on this site define the following access keys: