Illustration of people with different accessibility requirements looking at digital devices

Digital Accessibility

Zero Waste Scotland believes in accessibility for all, allowing everyone the opportunity to use the internet in the way that it is intended

This is grounded in our broader vision, to become an organisation with a disruptive and exemplary approach to Equality Diversity & Inclusion, which underpins our ultimate purpose of creating an equal, diverse and inclusive circular economy in Scotland.

To help us achieve these aims, Zero Waste Scotland have partnered with Recite Me, who offers an innovative cloud-based software that lets visitors view and use our website in a way that works best for them.

Recite Me Web Accessibility and Language Toolbar

We’ve added the Recite Me web accessibility and language toolbar to our website to make it accessible and inclusive for as many people as possible.

It helps 1 in 5 people in the UK who have a disability, including those with common conditions like sight loss and dyslexia, access our website in the way that suits them best

It also meets the needs of the 4.2 million people in the UK who speak a language other than English at home, by translating our web content into over 100 different languages.

Graphic showing the variety of options available to use on the Recite Me accessibility toolbar

How do I access the accessibility toolbar?

You can open the accessibility toolbar by clicking on the “Accessibility Tools” button in the top right corner of any page of our website.

After you click on the “Accessibility Tools” button, the toolbar opens and displays a range of different options for customising the way the website looks and ways you can interact with the content.

Graphic of the icon used to access the accessibility toolbar - black text which says "accessibility tools" on a blue background.

How does the accessibility toolbar help me access this website?

The toolbar helps people access our website and customise the content in a way that works best for them.

It has a unique range of functions you can use, including:

  • Read website text aloud (including PDFs)
  • Download the text as an MP3 file to play it where and when it suits you
  • Change font sizes and colours
  • Customise background-colours
  • Translate text into more than 100 different languages
  • Access a fully integrated dictionary and thesaurus

Recite Me User Guide

Graphic showing the text to speech controls of the accessibility toolbar

Play Audio

Back: Rewind to the previous paragraph of text.

Play: Click the Play button to read the text aloud.

Forward: Skip forward to the next paragraph of text.

Graphic showing the text size and font controls of the accessibility toolbar

Text Options

Decrease: This will decrease the text size.

Font: You can change the font that displays on the page

Increase: This will increase the text size

Graphic showing the colour, ruler and mask controls of the accessibility toolbar

Colour, Ruler and Mask

Colour: Change the background, text, and link colours

Ruler: Click to enable the reading ruler

Screen Mask: Will create a letterbox for focused viewing of a section of the page

Graphic showing the Dictionary, Translation, and Magnifier controls of the accessibility toolbar

Dictionary, Translation, and Magnifier

Dictionary: Highlight and click on this to view the definition of the word

Translation: Translate text into a different language

Magnifier: Click and drag the magnifying glass to magnify text on the screen.

Graphic showing the Margins, Plain Text Mode, and Download Audio controls of the accessibility toolbar

Margins, Plain Text Mode, and Download Audio

Text Mode: Remove images to view content in plain text mode

Margins: Change the text dimensions by narrowing the width of the text column

Download Audio: Highlight the text then click the button to download the text as an audio file

Graphic showing the Settings controls of the accessibility toolbar

Settings

Settings: Adjust your Recite Me toolbar settings

Reset: This will restore the default settings

User Guide: This will give you an overview of the Recite Me Toolbar Features

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The toolbar we use by Recite Me is cloud-based software so there is no need to install anything on your computer.

To launch the accessibility toolbar you will need to click on the ‘Accessibility Tools’ button on the top right hand side of any page. This will then launch the toolbar, which will appear at the top of the page.

To disable the auto read you need to click on the button marked “Settings”. This will give you a list of 3 functions to choose from. You need to click on the bottom to the right of the option marked “Autoplay” which will then disable auto-read.

Yes, it works on multiple devices and operating systems including Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, and Windows devices.

The toolbar uses cookies to save user settings.

To change the language of the website that you are viewing you need to select the button marked “Languages”. This will then produce a drop-down list of all the languages offered. Find the language that you want from the list and press on it, the site will then be converted to that language.

To create an MP3, first, turn off the Autoplay option located within the settings button. Highlight the section of text that you wish to create into an MP3. Once highlighted select the Download Audio button from the toolbar. You will then see a message telling you that your file is being created. Once created you will see the file appear ready at the bottom of the web page. You can now either listen to the file created or save it to a location of your choice.

To close the accessibility toolbar simply click on the icon marked “Close” to the right of the toolbar.