Patients are more likely than most visitors to use a screen reader, magnify text, rely on a keyboard, or visit while in pain or distress. An accessible site is simply a site that works for more of your patients.
Legal context, in brief
Accessibility requirements vary by province and organization size. Ontario's AODA sets website requirements for many organizations, and federal and other provincial accessibility laws continue to develop. Whatever applies to you, aiming for WCAG 2.1 Level AA is a sound standard.
Practical steps
- Contrast. Text should be easy to read against its background. Avoid light grey on white.
- Text size. Use a comfortable base size and let visitors enlarge it without the layout breaking.
- Keyboard use. Every link, button and form should work without a mouse, with a visible focus outline.
- Alt text. Describe meaningful images. Mark decorative ones so screen readers skip them.
- Headings. Use real heading levels in order. They are how many people navigate.
- Form labels. Every field needs a visible label and clear error messages.
- Links. Use descriptive text such as "Book a physiotherapy visit" instead of "Click here".
- Motion. Avoid autoplay video and moving carousels.
- Plain language. Short sentences and familiar words help everyone, especially people in a hurry or under stress.
Test it
Try your site with only the keyboard, zoom the page to 200 percent, and run it through a free checker such as the WAVE tool. Automated checks catch only part of the problems, so also have a person test it.
Publish an accessibility statement
Add a short page that says you aim to make the site accessible and gives a phone number and email for anyone who has trouble using it.
