Accessibility Statement

Our Commitment

George Brown Legal Services is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.

Our website aims to conform to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA.

Measures to Support Accessibility

George Brown Legal Services takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of our website:

• Include accessibility as part of our mission statement
• Provide continual accessibility training for our staff
• Assign clear accessibility goals and responsibilities
• Test our website regularly with automated and manual accessibility tools
• Use semantic HTML and ARIA landmarks for screen reader compatibility
• Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible
• Maintain sufficient color contrast ratios (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text)
• Provide text alternatives for all non-text content
• Support browser zoom up to 200% without loss of functionality
• Respect user preferences for reduced motion

Accessibility Features

Our website includes the following accessibility features:

• Keyboard Navigation: All pages can be navigated using only a keyboard
• Skip Links: "Skip to main content" links on every page for faster navigation
• Clear Focus Indicators: Visible focus states on all interactive elements
• Semantic Headings: Proper heading hierarchy on all pages
• Alt Text: Descriptive alternative text for all meaningful images
• Form Labels: All form inputs have associated labels
• Error Identification: Clear error messages that describe how to fix issues
• Sufficient Touch Targets: Interactive elements sized for easy activation
• Responsive Design: Content adapts to different screen sizes and orientations
• Reduced Motion Support: Respects prefers-reduced-motion settings

Conformance Status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

georgebrown.biz aims to conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. We strive to meet all Level AA success criteria and are committed to continually improving accessibility. If you encounter any barriers, please contact us so we can address them.

Feedback and Contact Information

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of George Brown Legal Services' website. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers:

Compatibility with Browsers and Assistive Technology

Our website is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:

• Screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver)
• Screen magnification software
• Speech recognition software
• Keyboard-only navigation

The website is optimized for recent versions of major browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Technical Specifications

Accessibility of George Brown Legal Services' website relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML5
• WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)
• CSS3
• JavaScript (ES6+)

Assessment Approach

George Brown Legal Services assessed the accessibility of this website by the following approaches:

• Self-evaluation using automated accessibility testing tools
• Manual testing with keyboard-only navigation
• Screen reader testing (NVDA and VoiceOver)
• Color contrast analysis
• Review against WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria

Limitations and Alternatives

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of this website, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known limitations, and potential solutions:

If you find an accessibility issue on our website, please contact us and we will work to provide the information or service in an alternative format.

Formal Complaints

If you wish to report a complaint about how George Brown Legal Services has handled an accessibility issue, you may file a complaint under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

For more information, visit the Ontario Government's page on filing accessibility complaints.