Building a Site That Works for Every Canadian
jail-roster.org/ is committed to digital accessibility. We aim to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA and align with the Accessible Canada Act, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and equivalent provincial accessibility laws. This page describes our target, what's already in place, what's still in progress, and how to report an issue.
What’s on this page
1. Our Commitment
Information about Canadian corrections — how to register as a victim, how to find the right CSC office, how to communicate with someone in custody, how to navigate the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights — should be accessible to every Canadian, including those who use screen readers, voice-control software, magnification tools, captioning, and other assistive technologies. We design and review jail-roster.org/ with that audience in mind, and we treat accessibility issues as a high-priority editorial concern.
2. The Standard We Apply
We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, published by the W3C — the same baseline that the Government of Canada applies to its own digital content under the federal Accessibility Standard for Web Content, and that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Information and Communications Standards reference for organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario.
3. Canadian Legal Framework We Work Within
| Authority | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Accessible Canada Act (S.C. 2019, c. 10) | Federal accessibility framework — barrier-free Canada by 2040; applies to federally regulated entities |
| Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) | Ontario accessibility framework; Information and Communications Standards reference WCAG 2.0 AA |
| BC Accessible British Columbia Act (2021) | BC framework for removing barriers |
| Manitoba Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) | Manitoba accessibility standards |
| Nova Scotia Accessibility Act | Nova Scotia framework — barrier-free Nova Scotia by 2030 |
| Quebec — An Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights | Quebec accessibility framework |
| Canadian Human Rights Act (federal) | Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federally regulated areas |
| Provincial human rights codes | Provincial protections against discrimination on the basis of disability |
Accessible Canada: accessible.canada.ca. AODA: ontario.ca/page/accessibility-laws.
4. What’s Already in Place
Semantic HTML
Proper heading hierarchy, landmark regions, descriptive labels.
Keyboard navigation
All interactive content is reachable and operable by keyboard alone.
Visible focus
Clear focus indicators on links, buttons, and form fields.
Contrast
Body text meets WCAG AA contrast targets against page backgrounds.
Resizable text
Layouts continue to work as text is enlarged up to 200%.
Alt text
Images carry meaningful alt text; decorative images marked appropriately.
Descriptive links
Link text describes the destination — no “click here” links.
Mobile-friendly
Responsive layouts; functions work on small screens with touch input.
Form labels
All form fields have visible labels and clear error messaging.
Language attribute
Document language declared so screen readers pronounce text correctly.
No auto-playing media
No content auto-plays sound or video without user action.
Table semantics
Data tables use proper headers; complex tables include captions and scope.
5. Assistive Technology Compatibility
The site is tested with the following combinations and is expected to work with current versions of each:
| Screen reader | Browser | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| NVDA | Firefox / Chrome / Edge | Windows |
| JAWS | Chrome / Edge | Windows |
| VoiceOver | Safari | macOS / iOS |
| TalkBack | Chrome | Android |
| Narrator | Edge | Windows |
Voice-input testing covers Dragon (Windows) and Voice Control (macOS/iOS).
6. Supported Browsers
- Google Chrome — current and previous major version
- Microsoft Edge — current and previous major version
- Mozilla Firefox — current and previous major version
- Apple Safari — current macOS and iOS releases
- Mobile browsers — current Chrome (Android) and Safari (iOS)
Older browsers may not render the site as intended.
7. Keyboard Navigation
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move forward through interactive elements | Tab |
| Move backward through interactive elements | Shift + Tab |
| Activate a link or button | Enter |
| Activate a button (some) | Space |
| Move within a menu / set of options | Arrow keys |
| Close a modal or menu | Esc |
| Skip to main content | “Skip to main content” link appears on first Tab |
8. Known Limitations
- Third-party federal corrections portals. When you click through to CSC, PBC, the Office of the Correctional Investigator, or Public Safety Canada, that site’s accessibility is the federal department’s responsibility — not ours. The Government of Canada targets WCAG 2.1 AA and these portals are generally well-tagged, but specific subsections may have gaps.
- Provincial corrections portals. Provincial corrections ministries run their own sites with varying levels of accessibility maturity; we cannot fix accessibility issues inside those platforms.
- Government PDFs. Many federal and provincial corrections forms (CSC Request for Victim Registration, PBC Decision Registry request form, provincial information-request forms) are PDFs that may have accessibility limitations the agency hasn’t addressed.
- French-language coverage. Most of our content is currently in English; we are working to expand French-language coverage to better serve Quebec residents and bilingual New Brunswick communities. CSC, PBC, and other federal agencies operate fully bilingually.
- Older archived content. Our oldest pages (predating the current standard) are being reviewed and updated on a rolling basis.
9. Alternative Formats
If you need information from the site in an alternative format — large print, plain-text, audio description, or another reasonable adaptation — email info@jail-roster.org with the subject line “Accessibility — alternative format” and the page URL. We aim to respond within five business days.
10. How We Test
- Automated checks (axe-core, WAVE, Lighthouse) on every page before publication
- Manual keyboard-only walkthrough of major templates after each design update
- Screen-reader spot-checks across the assistive-technology combinations listed above
- Colour-contrast checks on every new design palette before it ships
- Annual full-site accessibility review
11. Reporting an Accessibility Issue
If something on the site doesn’t work for you with a screen reader, keyboard, magnifier, voice-control software, captioning, or any other assistive technology, please email info@jail-roster.org with the subject line “Accessibility issue.” Include:
- The page URL where you encountered the issue
- What you were trying to do
- What happened (and what you expected to happen)
- Your browser, operating system, and assistive technology (where you can share that)
Accessibility issues are priority. We aim to respond within one to three business days.
12. Escalation Routes
You can escalate to the federal Accessibility Commissioner under the Accessible Canada Act at chrc-ccdp.gc.ca, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, or your provincial human rights commission. For Ontario AODA matters, escalate to the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario at ontario.ca/page/accessibility-laws.
13. Contact
Email info@jail-roster.org with the subject line “Accessibility issue.” For accessibility on a federal or provincial corrections website, contact that agency directly — its accessibility statement is typically linked from its footer.
Help Us Make the Site Better
If something doesn’t work for you, we want to hear about it. Accessibility reports get a response within one to three business days.
📧 Report an issue