Accessibility statement

1. What we aim for

The target is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 at level AA. That is the standard usually referred to in United States accessibility requirements, and it is a reasonable floor rather than a ceiling.

A mental health website is used by people who are tired, distracted, anxious or in pain. Accessibility here is not a compliance exercise. If the page is hard work, the person closes it and does not call.

2. What has been done

• Colour contrast. Every text and background pair used on this site was measured. Body text clears the 4.5 to 1 requirement, and the lowest ratio in ordinary use is about 4.7 to 1. The brand gold is used as a background and a decorative accent only, never as text on white, because it would fail.
• Keyboard. Every link, button, form field, accordion and filter can be reached and operated with a keyboard alone, and the focus outline is visible rather than removed.
• Skip link. A "skip to content" link is the first thing a keyboard user reaches on every page.
• Structure. One h1 per page, headings in order, real landmark elements, and lists marked up as lists so a screen reader announces the count.
• Motion. Content fades in as you scroll. If your device is set to reduce motion, that is respected and everything appears immediately. Nothing on the site moves, flashes or autoplays on its own.
• Icons. Decorative icons are hidden from screen readers so they are not read out as meaningless graphics next to the label they illustrate.
• Text size. The layout holds together when text is enlarged, and there is no horizontal scrolling at ordinary phone widths.
• Forms. Every field has a real label, errors are described in words rather than by colour alone, and the field in question receives focus.
• One third party embed, never the only route. The contact page includes a Google Map. It has a descriptive title for screen readers, and the address is also written out in text with links to open it in a map app, so nobody needs the map to find the practice. There is no embedded video or social feed.

3. Known limitations

• The site has not yet been tested with every combination of screen reader and browser, or by a specialist accessibility auditor. If you hit something, please report it rather than assuming it is known.

4. How it was tested

Contrast was measured on every colour pair used, rather than judged by eye. Pages were checked at phone, tablet and desktop widths. Keyboard operation, reduced motion and the behaviour of every interactive element, including what happens when a form is submitted wrongly, were exercised deliberately.

Automated and scripted checking is not the same as being used by a disabled person with their own assistive technology. Section 6 is the important one.

5. If you need information in another format

Anything on this site can be provided another way: read to you over the phone, sent as a large print document, or sent as plain text. Call (720) 897-6735 and ask. There is no charge and you do not need to explain why.

If you need an interpreter, or communication support at an appointment, say so when you get in touch so it can be arranged rather than improvised.

6. Tell us about a barrier

If part of this website is not usable for you, please say so. Describing what you were trying to do, what happened, and what you were using is genuinely useful, but a single sentence is enough.

Email info@hawthornepsychiatry.com or call (720) 897-6735. Reports are taken seriously and the site is changed when something is wrong with it.