Accessibility

The Department of Social Services ensures digital accessibility for people with disabilities. Accessibility and usability have been key elements considered in the development of this website. We hope you can find, access and use the information you need. This website aims to meet the Australian Government standards. This includes those that relate to access for people with disabilities. This website aims to conform to Double A of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 (WCAG 2.1), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

This site displays on all used browsers. Special features enable effective operation by persons using accessibility hardware and/or software.

We use identity.gov.au for some parts of our website. You can use identity.gov.au with most web browsers, operating systems and mobile platforms.

You can't use identity.gov.au with:

  • Internet Explorer
  • an outdated browser.

You'll need JavaScript enabled on your browser.

Find out how you can change your view of the site, and the accessibility features available on the website, below.

Zoom

In most cases, browsers allow you to use the CTRL and + keys together to zoom into a web page and the CTRL and - keys to zoom out. This will magnify all elements on the page, including text, to make it easier to read.

Navigation using a screen reader

If you are using a screen reader program, there are many aids to help you find your way around the website. Skip to content For people using screen readers each page has a link that says "skip to main content". Following this link will skip over the page header and skip over the navigation menu to take you straight to the content of the page. The page header and navigation repeats on every page so this avoids hearing them again and again.

Skip to content

For people using screen readers each page has a link that says "skip to main content". Following this link will skip over the page header and skip over the navigation menu to take you straight to the content of the page. The page header and navigation are repeated on every page so this avoids hearing them again and again.

Skip to sitemap

For people using screen readers each page has a link that says "Skip to sitemap". Following this link will skip over the page header and go to the main site navigation menu. The page header repeats on every page so this avoids hearing it again and again.

Search and search options

You can search the web site by typing one or more keywords into the search input box at the top right of any web page. This search option operates without javascript if required. Users without javascript need to select the arrow function to start their search. If your search returns too many results, you can use the Advanced Search option to refine your search.

Help with downloading documents and files

There are documents and media files for download on the website. Multiple document formats are available. Web pages are available in HTML wherever possible. Downloadable documents are available in both Portable Document Format (PDF) and Word formats.

To read PDF documents you need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Commonly this is already on your computer, installed with your web browser. But if you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can download it for free from adobe.com/au/.

Downloading documents

You can download documents and open them to read in your web browser or save them to your computer to read offline. To read a downloadable document in your web browser press the link to the document.

To save a downloadable document right-click on the download (PC) or shift + click (Mac) and select the Save link or Save target option.

Text to speech

The website utilises ReadSpeaker to enable you to listen to a web page.

Supported browsers

Some elements of our site including service provider location finders, registration processes and portal login services require certain supported browsers. See DSS online services page for more information.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our website. Let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on our site by contacting us.

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