Accessibility

Designed to be usable by everyone.

Pathway Surgery aims to make this site usable by people with a wide range of abilities — including patients using screen readers or other assistive technology, those with low vision, motor differences, or cognitive limitations. This page explains what is in place, what we are still improving, and how to flag a barrier.

Last updated: May 7, 2026

WCAG 2.1 AA target Our working standard for design and development.
Keyboard navigable The site is built to be operable without a mouse.
Screen-reader friendly Semantic markup, alt text on meaningful images, labelled forms.
Alternative formats Information available in plain text, large print, or accessible PDF on request.

!Found a barrier? Tell us.

If any part of this site is difficult or impossible for you to use — with or without assistive technology — please tell us. We treat accessibility reports as a priority and aim to respond within five business days.

Email admin@pathway.surgery or call (647) 799-3230. Include the page URL, what you were trying to do, and the assistive technology or browser you were using.

1Our commitment

Patients researching surgery should not be excluded from clear health information because of how they read, see, hear, or move. Pathway is committed to making this site as usable as possible for the widest range of people, and to closing gaps as we find them.

We treat accessibility as part of how the site is built and maintained — not as a checklist completed once. Reports from patients, clinicians, and staff are welcome and reviewed seriously.

2Standards we follow

Our working standard is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, published by the W3C. WCAG 2.1 AA is also the standard referenced by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) for public-facing websites.

We do not currently claim full WCAG 2.1 AA conformance across every page and asset. Some legacy pages, third-party embedded content, and older media files may not yet meet every criterion. The "Known limitations" section below is honest about where we are.

3What is in place

The following accessibility features are present across the site:

  • Semantic HTML. Headings, landmarks, lists, buttons, and links are marked up so screen readers and keyboard users can navigate predictably.
  • Keyboard navigation. All interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields, accordions) are reachable and operable using a keyboard alone, with visible focus indicators.
  • Alt text on meaningful images. Photographs, surgeon portraits, and informational graphics include descriptive alternative text. Decorative images are marked as such so screen readers skip them.
  • Labelled forms. Form fields have associated labels and clear error states.
  • Colour contrast. Text, button labels, and primary interactive elements aim for the WCAG AA contrast ratio against their backgrounds.
  • Resizable text. Pages remain readable when text is enlarged using the browser's zoom or text-size controls.
  • Reduced motion. Animations respect the operating system's "reduce motion" preference where possible.
  • Touch targets on mobile. Interactive elements on mobile are sized to be operable by users with motor differences.
  • Plain language. Clinical content is written for patients rather than other clinicians, with technical terms explained where used.

4Known limitations

We are honest about where this site does not yet meet our own standard:

  • Image alt text varies in quality. Some legacy product, anatomy, and instrument images carry shorter or generic alt text. We are working through them to add descriptive captions.
  • Embedded video. Podcast and surgeon Q&A videos are hosted on YouTube. Captions and transcripts depend on YouTube's tooling and on the original recording. We are progressively adding parallel text transcripts on the site itself.
  • PDFs and downloadable documents. Older PDFs may not be fully tagged for screen readers. Where this matters for your situation, contact us and we will provide the information in an accessible format.
  • Third-party widgets. Some embedded review widgets, mapping tools, or scheduling components are controlled by third parties whose accessibility practices may differ from ours.
  • Older blog and content pages. Pages published earlier in the site's history may not yet meet current heading, contrast, or link-text standards. They are revised as we touch them.
If a known limitation affects your ability to use information that matters to your care, contact us for an accessible alternative — we will provide it.

5Alternative formats

If you would prefer information from this site in another format — large print, plain text, accessible PDF, or read aloud over the phone — tell us what you need and we will provide it without charge.

This applies to procedure information, recovery guidance, surgeon background, intake paperwork, or any other content on the site.

6Assistive technology compatibility

The site is tested for compatibility with current versions of mainstream screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), browser zoom, keyboard-only navigation, and high-contrast operating-system modes.

If you use a different assistive technology and encounter a barrier, please tell us. Compatibility we have not yet verified is not the same as compatibility we have refused.

7Ongoing improvements

This statement is reviewed at least annually, and updated whenever the site goes through a substantial change. Specific accessibility issues raised by patients or staff are tracked and resolved as part of our regular content review.

Where a barrier is reported, we aim to acknowledge within five business days, provide an accessible alternative if needed, and resolve the underlying issue on a reasonable timeline depending on its complexity.

8Contact

For accessibility questions, requests for alternative formats, or reports of barriers:

Email admin@pathway.surgery Phone (647) 799-3230