Accessibility guide
Mosman Council is committed to improving the accessibility of its website for all users. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provide the international standards for web accessibility, with different of levels of compliance: A, AA and AAA. Mosman Council recognises the importance of providing web accessible content. The website is tested for accessibility in the browsers most visitors use and Council aims for AA compliance for all content published. Please find following tips and information on the accessible features of Council’s website.
How to use the website’s accessibility features
Page structure
Most pages are structured with a clear hierarchy and meaningful HTML code, to enable screen readers and other assistive devices to understand and process the content clearly.
Page navigation
Pressing the ‘Tab’ key after a page has loaded will provide skip links to the main navigation, content area and footer. Most clickable elements are outlined when they are accessed using the ‘Tab’ key. Please note the website does not define any access keys, in order to avoid interfering with the key combinations already defined by assistive devices.
Visual content
Descriptions for images and visual elements are incorporated for screen readers or when images are turned off.
Contrast
Contrast between text and background colours is configured as per WCAG recommendations. The contrast ratio may vary slightly when text appears on images.
Interactive components
If interactive content is partly hidden, as with tabs or popups, all content will be shown if interactivity is disabled, for example by turning off Javascript.
Resizing content
A page can be enlarged in the browser. Zooming in to enlarge content can be done by using keys 'Ctrl' and '+' on PCs, or 'Command' and '+' on Macs. Zooming out to view more content can be done by using keys 'Ctrl' and '-' on PCs, or 'Command' and '-' on Macs.
Exceptions
While Council strives to ensure all pages reflect best practice accessibility features and comply with W3C guidelines, improving pages to meet these standards can take time. Some current pages may not meet these criteria, and may for example include PDFs, video or audio. Council is working on more accessible alternatives for this content, and in the meantime thanks visitors for their patience. Please contact Council if you require assistance with particular content.