Accessibility

Housing is not optional, so the way you find it should not depend on how you use a computer. This page says what we have done, what we know is imperfect, and how to reach a person if the site gets in your way.

The standard we build to

We aim to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the benchmark referenced by the Americans with Disabilities Act and by federal housing guidance.

What we have built in

• Keyboard access. Every link, button, and form field can be reached and operated with a keyboard alone, in a sensible order, with a visible outline showing where you are.
• Screen readers. Pages use real headings, lists, and landmarks. Every form field has a label that is actually attached to it, not just text sitting nearby. Errors are announced, not only coloured.
• A skip link. The first thing on every page lets you jump past the navigation straight to the content.
• Contrast. Text and interface colours are chosen to stay legible, and we do not rely on colour alone to carry meaning.
• Zoom and reflow. The site works enlarged to 200% and on a narrow screen without horizontal scrolling.
• Reduced motion. If your system asks for reduced motion, animation and smooth scrolling are turned off.
• No time limits. Nothing on the site expires while you are filling it in.
• Images. Photographs carry text descriptions, and decorative graphics are hidden from screen readers rather than read out as noise.

What we know is not perfect

We would rather name these than let you discover them:

• Property photographs have general descriptions rather than exhaustive ones. Ask us about any home and we will describe it properly.

Assistive technology

The site is built with standard HTML and is intended to work with current versions of screen readers, magnifiers, speech input, and switch access, on both desktop and mobile. If you use something and it does not work, we want to know — that is a bug, not your fault.

Accessibility of the homes themselves

This page is about the website. The homes are separate. If you need a physical modification to a property because of a disability — a ramp, grab bars, a visual alarm, lever handles — that is a reasonable modification request and is covered on our fair housing page. Ask us and we will work through it with you.

Tell us about a problem

Tell us what page you were on, what you were trying to do, and what happened. If you know what browser or assistive technology you were using, that helps, but do not let it stop you from getting in touch.

We aim to respond within three business days, and to fix genuine barriers as quickly as we can. In the meantime we will get you the information or the application by another route.