Commitment to Website Accessibility
The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is committed to ensuring that its public-facing websites conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to a level that meets or exceeds those stipulated by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards (IASR).
Compliance status
The AODA (under IASR 191/11, s. 14) requires designated public sector organizations and large organizations to ensure their public websites and web content conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA (except for live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions).
The WRDSB is partially conformant with WCAG 2.0 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.
Technical information
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts its functionality and behavior for users of screen-readers and keyboard functions.
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
This website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various behavioral changes, to ensure users with screen-readers can read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. Here’s how this website covers some important screen-reader requirements:
Screen-reader optimization: a process that ensures screen-readers are provided with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes is enabled. The background process scans and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts embedded within the image using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 (Windows) or Option+1 (MacOS) keyboard combination.
Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with popular screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.
Additionally, keyboard users will find content-skip menus available at any time by clicking Alt+2, or as the first element of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, not allowing the focus to drift outside.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported on this website
Epilepsy Safe Profile: this profile enables people with epilepsy to safely use the website by eliminating the risk of seizures resulting from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Vision Impaired Profile: this profile adjusts the website so that it is accessible to the majority of visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Profile: this profile provides various assistive features to help users with cognitive disabilities such as Autism, Dyslexia, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements more easily.
ADHD Friendly Profile: this profile significantly reduces distractions and noise to help people with ADHD, and Neurodivergent needs browse, read, and focus on the essential elements more easily.
Blind Users Profile (Screen-readers): this profile adjusts the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is installed on the user’s computer, and this site is compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables users to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Colour adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds with over seven different colouring options.
Animations – users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize essential elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users turn-off sound for the entire website instantly.
Cognitive needs – the website utilizes a search engine linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive needs to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – users may change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility features on this website. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers using our Accessibility Feedback Form or the following contact information:
Phone: 519-570-0003 Ext: 4793
Email: accessibility@wrdsb.ca
We try to respond to feedback within 5 business days
