Brett Dietterle @brett_dietterle
The Canadian Mountain Network is committed to inclusivity and ensuring as many people as possible have access to our content. After initially consulting with Student Accessibility Services at the University of Alberta, we created a list of features we would like to implement on our website. We then implemented several of these features to further our engagement and allow us to reach a wider demographic of people.
A toolbar on the left side of the screen allows users to toggle between high contrast and large font modes. This feature helps visually impaired users have greater access to the content of our website. Also, the presence of alternative text for all images allow a screen reader to read out descriptions of the images on our website.
The website is also navigable solely by keyboard, allowing users to navigate the website without using a mouse. Clickable elements can be cycled through with tab and shift+tab, and pressing enter to click on the highlighted element. The website also displays which element is currently selected and shifts the focus of the screen over to it.
We have a French version of our website that can be accessed through the language selector on the left side of the screen. Through the hard work and tireless dedication of our volunteer translator, Rebecca Isbister, we are able to maintain the content on the Canadian Mountain Network website in French and English.
In order to promote public knowledge about mountain environments, communities, and cultures, we provide paper copies of our research summaries to libraries that request them so that people without access to electronics are still able to access some of our content.
Inclusiveness is a core element of the Canadian Mountain network, and while much work has been done to improve the accessibility of our content, we are always striving to achieve better accessibility.
If you have any suggestions for how we could make our website and communications more accessible, please let us know at mtportal@ualberta.ca.
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