Accessibility Statement for Aperture Academy

Aperture Academy is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our website to ensure we provide equal access to all users.

Our Commitment

We strive to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines helps make the web more user-friendly for everyone.

Accessibility Features

We have implemented the following features to enhance accessibility:

• Semantic HTML: Using semantic HTML5 elements to structure content, providing clear meaning and structure for assistive technologies.
• Alternative Text: Providing descriptive alternative text for all images, ensuring users who cannot see the images can understand their purpose. All images, like the featured image of landscape photography in the course details, have alt-text.
• Keyboard Navigation: Ensuring all functionality is available via keyboard navigation, allowing users who cannot use a mouse to easily navigate the site.
• Color Contrast: Maintaining sufficient color contrast between text and background, making it easier for users with low vision to read content. The color scheme follows the Australian Bootstrap theme, ensuring readability.
• Resizable Text: Allowing users to resize text up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
• Clear and Consistent Navigation: Providing a clear and consistent navigation structure, making it easy for users to find what they are looking for.
• Form Accessibility: Ensuring all form elements are properly labeled and accessible, allowing users to easily complete forms.
• Video Captions and Transcripts: Providing captions and transcripts for all video content, making it accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• ARIA Attributes: Using ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to enhance the accessibility of dynamic content and interactive elements. For example, the navigation menu uses ARIA labels for better screen reader compatibility.
• Skip Navigation Link: A skip navigation link is provided at the top of each page to allow users to bypass the main navigation and go directly to the main content.
• Dark Theme Support: Offering a dark theme option to improve readability for users sensitive to bright screens. This can be toggled using the "Dark Mode" button.

Specific Accessibility Measures Taken

At Aperture Academy, we have taken specific measures to ensure our website aligns with the outlined commitment to accessibility. These are detailed as follows:

1. Regular Audits: We conduct regular accessibility audits using both automated tools and manual testing. These audits help us identify and address any accessibility issues. Our internal accessibility team, led by Sarah Thompson, conducts monthly reviews.
2. Training: Our development and content teams receive ongoing training on accessibility best practices, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to create accessible content and applications.
3. User Feedback: We actively solicit feedback from users with disabilities and use this feedback to inform our accessibility efforts. If you encounter any accessibility barriers on our website, please contact us using the information provided below.
4. Technology Choices: We choose technologies and platforms that support accessibility best practices. Our use of Bootstrap, a widely adopted front-end framework, is configured to prioritize accessibility from the outset.
5. Content Guidelines: We adhere to strict content guidelines to ensure all content is clear, concise, and easy to understand. This includes using plain language and avoiding jargon.
6. Dynamic Content Updates: We ensure that dynamic content updates, such as AJAX calls and real-time notifications, are accessible to assistive technologies.

Known Limitations

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of Aperture Academy's website, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known potential limitations, and suggestions for solutions.

• Third-Party Content: Some of our content is provided by third parties, and we may not be able to control the accessibility of this content directly. We are working with our third-party vendors to improve the accessibility of their content. For example, embedded videos from external platforms may not always have perfect captioning.
• Older Documents: Some older documents may not be fully accessible. We are working to update these documents as time and resources permit.

Ongoing Efforts

Accessibility is an ongoing process, and we are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our website. Our current and future initiatives include:

• Regularly updating our website to address any new accessibility issues that arise.
• Conducting ongoing training for our staff on accessibility best practices.
• Seeking feedback from users with disabilities on how we can improve our website.
• Evaluating and improving the accessibility of all new content and features.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Aperture Academy's website. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on our website.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the accessibility of our website, please contact us:

• Email: accessibility@apertureacademy.com.au
• Phone: +61 606112840 (ask for the Accessibility Coordinator)
• Postal address: Aperture Academy Pty Ltd, Level 10, 20 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

We try to respond to feedback within 5 business days.

Formal Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may wish to lodge a formal complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Date

This statement was last updated on October 26, 2024.