Welcome to the accessible version of the CBC Archives Website.
We've developed an accessible version of our site due to technical and design constraints of the regular version of the site. All content is updated simultaneously on both versions.
The accessible version of our site was created in collaboration with Canadian accessibility experts and organizations. This first version attempts as much as possible to conform to the Priority 1 guidelines of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
We want to know if the accessible version is working for you. Please e-mail us your questions, comments and recommendations.
The accessible version of the CBC Archives Website was developed using CSS 2 cascading style sheets. The site should work with all browsers and operating systems, but may not function properly on early browser versions that do not support CSS 2, such as Netscape 4.X or Explorer 5.X for Mac.
Our site is dynamically generated, and may create errors for HTML validators. For example, we did not convert ampersands (&) in the URL to HTML, but according to the experts we consulted these codes should not pose any problems for the user.
We have simplified the site's navigation elements, and we use metadata to describe the content of both site versions. You can find content with our text search tool or with our list of content by category.
We have tried to make the site as easy to navigate as possible through section and page titles, and by grouping similar elements. Where possible, we have given sections identical structures.
The accessible version of the site is available in two colour schemes: dark characters on a light background - and vice versa - in order to accommodate users with visual impairments.
We have identified the language used to enable screen readers adapt to language changes on the site.
We have standardized navigation on the site including our menus and hyperlinks. Pages have been clearly labeled to ease navigation.
All site pages are formatted using CSS 2 cascading style sheets.
Links are clearly identified by text banners.
The accessible version of the CBC Archives Website presents video and audio clips in a new Windows Media Player pop-up window instead of embedded in the page.
This allows screen readers to read the background text as the clip plays.
At the moment we are unable to provide transcripts of radio and television clips or closed-captioning of television clips.
Use of tables has been limited because of compatibility issues with screen readers.
Flash navigation used in the accessible version conforms to accessibility criteria. Some features on the site require the use of JavaScript. These include the ability to:
All forms on the site have explicit markers to direct the user.
Frames are not used on either the accessible or regular versions of the site.
For better user control, the accessible version uses independent web pages instead of "pop-up" windows. We have also created a series of keyboard shortcuts to aid navigation.
Neither the accessible nor regular versions of the site use blinking or automatic actualization.
