The State of Illinois web site has been designed to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. You might be surprised to find that some of these features could be helpful to you.

Text on the State of Illinois web site can be resized to meet your needs.

If you are using Internet Explorer 5 or 6:

1. Open Internet Explorer's "View" menu (or press Alt + V)
2. Select "Text Size" (press X)
3. Select "Largest" (press G)

(Large Fonts may be reset by following the same process and selecting "Medium" or pressing M)

If you are using Netscape 6x:

1. Open Netscape’s "View" menu (or press Alt + V)
2. Select "Text Size"
3. Select "Desired %"

Or Hold down the Ctrl key and press + or – to reach desired text size.

The State of Illinois web site automatically works with Windows' "High Contrast" mode.
If your computer is already set for High Contrast mode, activate it by pressing:

• (Left) Alt + (Left) Shift + Print Screen

  (Turn High Contrast off by pressing the same keys again.)

Otherwise, see Microsoft's Step by Step Tutorials for instructions on how to turn High Contrast mode on.

If you are uncomfortable with the mouse, you can operate the entire State of Illinois web site using just the keyboard:

• Press the Tab key to move from link to link (or Shift + Tab to move backwards).
• Press the Enter key to activate a link.
• Use Alt + Left Arrow to go back a page.

Or, to fill out forms:

• Press the Tab key to move from field to field.
• Press Up Arrow or Down Arrow to move between items in a list.
• Press Spacebar to check or uncheck radio buttons and checkboxes.
• Press Enter to activate buttons.

The State of Illinois web site is also compatible with "assistive technology" software that can help people with disabilities. For example, people who are blind can use JAWS for Windows or IBM Home Page Reader to read the State of Illinois web site out loud, and people who have trouble using their hands can control the State of Illinois web site using only Dragon Naturally Speaking and their voice.

The new State of Illinois web site was developed using the Illinois Web Accessibility Standards, which were adopted on February 14, 2002, and tested using assistive technologies like JAWS and Home Page Reader.

The Illinois Technology Office will continue to work with the state agencies to improve the accessibility of the main state portal and incorporate new features and technology into all agency web sites.

If you have questions or comments regarding the accessibility of the State of Illinois web site, please contact us.