MAKE WEBSITES EASIER TO READ

What you need: Google Chrome Time required: 30 minutes

GoogleChrome is the world’s most popular browser, but in its basic form lacks many useful accessibility features. Thankfully, you can install free extensions that fill these gaps. We’ll explain how you can use these to navigate the

browser using keyboard shortcuts, reduce eye strain when browsing at night, zoom into web pages using a slider, enlarge images by dragging your mouse over them, and find synonyms for words by doubleclicking them.

STEP 1

Open Chrome ( www. google.co.uk/chrome) and ensure your browser is up to date (because some extensions only work in the latest version). Click the three dots 1 , move your cursor to Help 2 , click About Google Chrome 3 , then click Check For Updates. If you have the latest version you’ll see this message 4 . If not, the latest updates will install and you’ll be prompted to restart your browser to update it.

STEP 2

To install these extensions use the links provided throughout this Workshop, click the ‘Add to Chrome’ button, then ‘Add extension’. The extension’s icon will appear in your toolbar 1 To remove any you don’t want, right-click its toolbar icon, then click ‘Remove from Chrome’ 2 . Alternatively, go to chrome://extensions 3 to see all your installed extensions and uninstall 4 or disable 5 any you don’t want.

STEP 3

Chrome has a number of default keyboard shortcuts (see www.snipca.com/27427 for a list), but you can’t customise them. To create your own keyboard shortcuts, install ‘Keyboard Control for Chrome’ ( www.snipca.com/27428). Once installed, click the keyboard icon in your toolbar, Options, then scroll to the Key Mapping section 1 . You’ll see a list of shortcuts 2 and what they do 3 . To change these, click the dropdown menu beside any key, then select another option from the list. While browsing press Shift+esc to turn on the extension, then press your keyboard shortcut.

STEP 4

Most websites use black text on a white background. While this is ideal for browsing during the day, it can cause eye strain if you often browse at night. The remedy is to install Dark Reader ( www.snipca.com/27429). Click the extension 1 , then switch it on 2 to see white text on a black background 3 . You can also customise the brightness, contrast, grayscale and sepia levels of this dark mode using the buttons on the left and right 4 .

STEP 5

Press Ctrl++(plus key) and Ctrl+- (minus key) to zoom in and out of a web page. If you prefer having more nuanced control, install ‘Zoom for Google Chrome’ ( www.snipca.com/27430). Clicking it 1 reveals a slider 2 that gives you greater control over zoom levels. If you often click images to enlarge them (on, say, Facebook or Amazon), you should install Hover Zoom ( www.snipca.com/27431). After installing it, simply move your cursor to any online image 3 to see an enlarged version 4 .

STEP 6

Chrome already makes it easy to carry out Google searches for words or phrases – highlight the word/phrase, right-click it, then click ‘Search Google for [highlighted text]’. But you can also find definitions for words by installing Google Dictionary ( www.snipca.com/ 27432), then double-clicking a word 1 to see its definition 2 . Click the speaker icon 3 to hear it pronounced and the More link 4 to run a Google search.

STEP 7

If you have a smart TV or use Google Chromecast (£30 from www.snipca.com/ 27433), it’s easy to cast web pages from Chrome to your TV. This is great for viewing photos and videos on a larger screen. Previously, you needed to install the Google Cast extension, but the feature is now built into Chrome. Click the three dots at the top right 1 , Cast 2 , then select your Chromecast or Smart TV’S name 3 . ●