Accessibility
What we have built this site to do, what we know is still wrong with it, and how to tell us if something stops you.
Last reviewed September 2026
The standard we build to
This site is built to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which is the usual benchmark for public websites in Canada.
In September 2026 we measured it against that standard rather than just aiming at it. We used automated testing across every page, and checked by hand the things automated tools cannot see. What that found, and what it fixed, is in the list below.
We are still not saying "this site conforms". Automated testing catches a minority of the things that can go wrong, one round of checking is not a formal evaluation, and we have not yet been through the site with a screen reader. Two real problems turned up in that September pass — a page that scrolled sideways on narrow screens, and a focus outline that was invisible against our darker sections — and both had passed every automated check beforehand. That is the honest reason for the caution rather than false modesty.
What the site does today
All of this was checked in September 2026, not just intended:
- Every page can be operated by keyboard alone, including the navigation menus. Escape closes them and focus goes back where you left it.
- A skip link is the first thing you reach, so you can get past the header in one keystroke.
- Focus is always visible, on every background the site uses. We measured the outline against each one, and fixed the two places it was too faint to see.
- Headings run in order, and pages use real landmarks, so you can navigate by structure rather than by scrolling.
- Every piece of text on the site was measured against the colour actually behind it. Nothing falls below the contrast standard. Our light teal is used for shapes and rules only, never for words.
- Every form field has a visible label that stays put. If something is wrong, the form says what to do about it and ties that message to the field.
- If your system asks for reduced motion, the site stops animating.
- Pages fit a 320 pixel wide screen — a small phone, or a strongly zoomed window — without scrolling sideways.
- Tap targets are at least 44 by 44 pixels.
- Links say where they go. There is no "click here".
What we have not checked yet
Two things. Neither is known to be broken — they are things nobody has sat down and verified, and we would rather say so than let you assume:
- We have tested the site by keyboard and checked its structure, but we have not yet been through it with a screen reader from start to finish. Until we have, we cannot tell you how well it reads.
- We have not yet checked every page at 200% browser zoom. The narrow-screen layout it shares has been measured and is fine, so we expect it to hold, but expecting is not checking.
Why there is no accessibility button
Some sites carry a floating button offering larger text, higher contrast, or a "screen reader mode". We have deliberately not added one.
Those tools sit on top of a site and try to correct it from the outside. They frequently interfere with the screen readers and browser settings people already use and have configured to suit them, and they let a site look as though accessibility has been handled without anything underneath changing. We would rather spend the effort on the markup, which is what assistive technology actually reads.
Your own browser and operating system settings — zoom, text size, contrast, reduced motion — will work on this site. That is the intended way to use it.
Telling us about a barrier
If something on this site stops you doing what you came to do, we want to know. That includes anything you found awkward as well as anything that was impossible.
It helps if you can tell us the page you were on, what you were trying to do, and what happened instead — and what you were using, if you know: a browser, a screen reader, a phone.
If the site itself is the barrier, phone instead. Anything you can do here you can do on the phone, and the helpline answers around the clock.
- 902-877-8450
- info@aboutcare.ca