A page on Loans Victoria should read the same for everyone: with a screen reader, by keyboard alone, zoomed far in on a phone, or one handed under an umbrella at a BC Transit stop in January. Here is how the pages are built for that and where to report one that falls short.
How the pages are built
Plain HTML does all the work: headings in order, real tables for tabular facts, alt text on photographs, link text that says where it leads, and no script standing between you and the words. Text stays text rather than a picture of text, so it scales with your zoom and wraps cleanly on a narrow screen. Nothing pops up, nothing autoplays and no third party widget loads.
Colour, contrast and size
Text and background colours meet the AA contrast ratio, and no meaning depends on colour alone. Headings, links and the apply button follow your browser's text settings, the layout holds together at 200% zoom, and a high contrast mode is respected rather than fought.
Keyboard and assistive technology
The Tab key reaches every link and the apply button, focus is visible on each, and a skip link at the top of every page jumps past the menu to the article. The menu, page map and tables are standard HTML that screen readers already understand. Alt text describes what is in the photograph, a cyclist on the Galloping Goose or a phone at a kitchen table, instead of repeating the heading above it.
The standard we aim at
WCAG 2.1 level AA, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, is the bar these pages aim at. No certification or complete conformance is claimed; the pages are tested with a keyboard and a screen reader, and what testing finds gets fixed.
The application platform
The application itself runs on a separate platform. If it fights your assistive technology, its support contact sits on the form and in your confirmation email; the how it works page describes every step in plain text, the read only bank connection included.
Report a barrier
A page that fails with your screen reader, keyboard, zoom level or contrast mode is a bug. Email with the page address and what happened; accessibility mail is read first and answered within a few business days, and the fix ships once it tests clean. The contact page lists what else we can and cannot help with.
Loan options in Victoria
One page per product: who qualifies, how fast it funds and what to check before you sign.
