Made for everyone to use
We want everyone to be able to read, hear and use this website. Here's what we've built in and how to ask for help.
Built-in features
- Accessibility settings at the top of every page: bigger text, more space, light or dark colors, high contrast, underlined links, and less movement.
- Listen buttons read pages and sections out loud, highlighting each part as it's read. The site picks the warmest natural voice your device already has (on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, downloading an "Enhanced" or "Premium" English voice in Settings makes it sound even better; on Windows, Edge's natural voices are used). Nothing is sent to a cloud service.
- Plain language, with "In short" summaries and an easy-read guide.
- Keyboard access, visible focus, and a "Skip to main content" link.
- Game controller support on a computer: a glowing fairy cursor driven by the left stick, with a tag that says what each button does. How it works.
- Pictures and colors are never the only way information is shown. Icons always come with words.
Using a game controller
The whole site can be used with a game controller on a laptop or desktop: a PlayStation 5 DualSense, or any controller your computer knows. A glowing fairy becomes your pointer: the left stick moves it, Cross presses whatever it is on, and a small tag beside it says what each press will do. Everything a mouse can do, the controller can do: open pages, tick boxes, drag a shelf piece or a list item, use a dialog. Typing stays on the keyboard, which works with the controller plugged in: Cross puts the cursor in a box, then you type.
How to connect
- With a cable: plug the controller into the computer with its USB-C cable. That's it.
- Over Bluetooth: hold the Create and PS buttons until the light flashes, then pick "DualSense Wireless Controller" (or your controller's name) in your computer's Bluetooth settings.
- In the browser: press any button once so the browser notices the controller, then move the left stick. The fairy appears, with a short message. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all work.
Settings are in Accessibility at the top of any page: when the cursor is on (whenever a controller is plugged in, always, or off), the cursor speed (the default is a quick glide; 1 is slow and careful), the tag by the cursor, the glow and sparkle trail, and rumble. Press Options on the controller at any time for the button guide.
What the buttons do
| Left stick | Move the fairy. Hold L2 to go slow and exact, R2 to go fast. Push against the edge of the window to scroll. |
|---|---|
| Right stick | Scroll the page, or the list the fairy is over. |
| Cross | Press or open what the fairy is on, like a left click. Hold it and move the stick to drag a shelf piece, a note or a list item. On a block in My calendar's Blocks panel, Cross picks the block up without holding: move it with the stick (or a step at a time with the D-pad), and press Cross again to put it down. Circle puts it back. |
| Circle | Back: close a menu or a dialog, or go back a page. While dragging or carrying something, Circle puts it back where it was. In the arcade, Circle (or Options) stops a game. |
| Triangle | Options: a shelf piece's ⋯ menu, or what a right click would do. |
| Square | Jump to the next button or link. Hold L1 and press Square for the one before. |
| D-pad | Jump to the nearest button or link in that direction. In a drop-down list, up and down choose; on a slider, left and right move it. |
| L1 / R1 | The tab before or after: the dashboard's tabs, the site menu, a row of choices. |
| Shelf Hero | In the arcade's Shelf Hero the four lanes are, from left to right, L1, D-pad right, Square and R1. |
| Options | The button guide. |
| Create | The Accessibility panel, where the controller settings are. |
| Touchpad | Put the fairy away, or bring it back. Pressing the left stick in (L3) centres the fairy; pressing the right stick in (R3) shows or hides the tag. |
If the sound moves to the controller
Plugged in by cable, a PS5 controller is also a small speaker, and Windows switches every sound to the newest device (a Mac doesn't). Two fixes: in Accessibility, under Sounds, press Keep this site's sounds on the computer, which points this site's clicks, music and games at the computer's speakers (the browser asks once to use the microphone, only so it may read the names of the outputs; nothing is recorded; Chrome and Edge can do this, Safari and Firefox cannot yet). For everything else on the computer, including the reading voice, open Windows Settings, System, Sound, and choose the speakers under Output. To stop Windows switching at all, open the old Sound control panel (search "Change system sounds", Playback tab), right-click the controller's "Wireless Controller" speaker and choose Disable.
Moving a real mouse hides the fairy; moving the stick brings it back where the mouse was. With "Less movement" on, the fairy keeps still (no twinkle or trail) and the things it touches don't sway.
Our goal
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA, and we test with keyboard and automated tools. Websites we link to are run by other organizations, so their accessibility may differ. The look of this site can be switched to "Simple view" in Reading tools, which removes all decorations.
Translation
Most browsers can translate this page. In Chrome or Edge, right-click the page and choose "Translate". On iPhone Safari, tap the "aA" button and choose "Translate". We can also help arrange an interpreter for meetings. Just ask.
Need something in a different way?
Tell us how we can help: a phone call instead of a form, information in large print or another format, more time, or a support person at meetings. Use our Get Started form or feedback form to let us know about any barrier on this site.