Accessibility Statement

1Our commitment

People arrive at a psychiatry website in poor concentration, on bad connections, on old phones, with tired eyes, and sometimes with a disability. A site that is hard to use is a barrier to care, so accessibility was treated as part of the build rather than something added afterwards.

We aim to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Where we fall short, section 3 says so rather than claiming otherwise.

2What has been done

• Colour contrast was measured, not judged by eye. Every text and background pair was checked against the WCAG formula before the design was built. Body text sits at 5.9:1 or better and headings at 10:1 or better, against a 4.5:1 requirement.
• Buttons were changed to pass. The original brand mockup used white text on gold, which measured 2.4:1 and failed. The gold was kept and the label changed to deep blue at 4.8:1.
• Colour is never the only signal. Links, form errors and states all carry text or shape as well as colour.
• Keyboard operable. Every menu, accordion, filter and form control can be reached and used with a keyboard alone. The mobile menu closes with Escape.
• A skip link lets keyboard and screen reader users jump straight past the navigation.
• Visible focus. Focused controls get a clear outline rather than a suppressed one.
• Real semantic structure. Headings run in order, navigation and main content are marked up as such, and buttons are buttons rather than styled divs.
• Screen reader support. Images carry descriptive alternative text, decorative graphics are hidden from assistive technology, and expandable sections report whether they are open.
• Reduced motion is honoured. If your device is set to reduce motion, animations are switched off, and content stays fully visible rather than disappearing with the animation.
• Text resizes. The layout holds together when text is enlarged, and no page scrolls sideways at a 390 pixel width.
• Touch targets are sized for use on a phone, including with limited dexterity.
• It works without JavaScript. If scripts fail, all content still displays rather than staying invisible.

3Known limitations

Stated plainly, because a statement that claims perfection is not much use.

• Testing was automated and manual, not user testing. The site was measured, keyboard tested and inspected, but has not yet been tested with people who use screen readers daily. Their feedback would carry more weight than any audit.
• The blog loads its articles with JavaScript. With scripts disabled, the article list will not render. The rest of the site does not depend on scripts. If you need an article in another format, ask and it will be sent to you.
• Fonts load from Google. If that is blocked, the site falls back to system fonts. It stays readable, but line lengths shift.
• No captions or transcripts are needed yet, because there is no audio or video on the site. If any is added, captions and a transcript will be provided with it.
• Third party sites we link to, such as professional directories and maps, are outside our control and may not meet the same standard.

4Accessing care, not just the website

Accessibility of the practice matters more than accessibility of the site. Free adjustments are available for appointments, including qualified sign language interpreters, materials in accessible formats, interpretation in other languages, and changes to how an appointment is run.

Details are on the nondiscrimination and language access page. You will never be charged for any of it.

If using the website is itself a barrier, you do not have to use it. Call (240) 673-7091 and everything can be done by telephone.

5Tell us if something does not work

Reports of specific problems are genuinely useful and are acted on.

• By phone on (240) 673-7091
• By email to masfaw@JonaPsychiatry.com

If you can, say which page, what you were trying to do, and what device or assistive technology you were using. We aim to respond within five business days, and if something cannot be fixed quickly we will give you the information another way in the meantime.