Site Accessibility

About Accessibility on this Site

The cnib.ca website was intentionally designed to be accessible to the widest possible audience. It is fully compatible with popular screen reading software and was designed for those who for a variety of reasons may not be able to use a mouse. This website can be navigated using the keyboard on your computer or using other assistive devices.

Customize the Site for You:

There are various things you can do to change the look of this site to make it easier for you to read. You can make the text bigger and change the contrast. This section gives you instructions on how to do this, as well as information about website accessibility in general. For more information, see the section on accessible web design.

Text Size

This site offers four different text sizes (as well as those offered by most internet browsers). They are indicated by the four different sized letters at the top right of each page. Click on the different sized A's to change the text size of a page. The second smallest size is the default text size of the website.

For websites that do not offer this option, you can also change your text size preferences in your Internet browser. For example, if you're using Internet Explorer 5, look under "View" on the menu bar and choose "Text Size." For more information, see our guide to Changing Text Size in Your Browser.

Contrast

You can improve the contrast of this website by selecting a high contrast colour scheme.

Skip to content

This feature allows the user to skip over the repeated content at the beginning of each page (such as the heading and navigation) and go straight to the main page content. This is especially useful to those with screen readers because it gives the user a way to avoid listening through lengthy menus every time he or she enters a new page.

To try it, navigate to a new page, then press the Tab key. The "Skip to content" link should be selected. Press the Enter key to activate the link.

Software You Might Need:

Some documents on this website are available in a PDF format. Adobe Acrobat is needed to open these files. Acrobat is available to download at no charge. The download itself may be quite large for some (between 8MB to 16MB) so check to see if it is already available on your computer.

Adobe provides an excellent guide to using PDF documents.

Other Features and Advice:

Alternative text

Images on cnib.ca have alternative text attributes, often known as alt text. This means that when an image is used on a web page to convey information its content is also described in the alt text. This means that the image can be understood by text browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers. If an image is used for simply decorative purposes, the text attribute for the image is left empty in line with accepted best practice.

Descriptive Links

Links on cnib.ca have TITLE tags. These tags work like Alternative Text and provide more information for someone using a screen reader or when someone hovers over a link with their mouse.

Flash

Given current advancements in technology, the use of Flash animation technology with a screen reader is now possible. Where Flash is featured on cnib.ca, it has been made accessible. For an example, see the AMD Challenge interactive flash module.

Colour Reliance and Image Alternatives

The cnib.ca website was created with colour impaired visitors in mind. The site was designed and was tested to conform to minimum contrast requirements for visitors with colour-blindness or other ocular impairments that could prevent them from reading text that does not have sufficient colour contrast with background colours.

The cnib.ca website uses images in a strong and effective method for communication. Where visitors cannot view images, due to visual or technological issues, alternative text is provided to ensure that the content of those images - where relevant - is communicated to the visitor. When images are disabled for any reason, the entire site was built to be fully navigable and usable.

The website never relies exclusively on colour or image to convey information.

Scripting Languages and Device Independence

The cnib.ca website was created using only standard web technologies. The website requires no special scripting languages or plug-in software to navigate or use. Where Javascript has been used for enhanced features, those features are hidden when a visitor has Javascript disabled or does not have the appropriate version.

Device Independence simply refers to the idea that cnib.ca does not require the use of any specific piece of browser software or operating system. The site can even be navigated using a wireless device (i.e. Blackberry or Palm).

Tables are Used for Tabular Data Only

Tables are not used for layout within the cnib.ca website. Tables are only used to present data or information which is best displayed using columns and rows.

For more information on how to make your website accessible, see the section on accessible web design or learn about our Accessibility Expertise.