Website Accessibility Information

We recognise that people with disabilities have the same fundamental rights to access information and services as others in the community. Access to information, communications and services, including the internet, is specifically recognised as a human right.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the accessibility of this site or any other that Greater Shepparton City Council (Council) controls, please contact us.

Council's websites have been built to conform to W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) guidelines for accessibility. Accessibility features have been employed to make our websites more accessible to everyone, including those with visual, motor or cognitive disabilities.

Recent versions of Microsoft Windows and macOS contain many accessibility features that can assist computer users who are blind or vision impaired.

Standards compliance and browser support

Council aims to comply with at least Conformance Level ‘Priority 2’ (AA) for accessibility according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. Full accessibility guideline information and a conformance level checklist can be found on the W3C website.

All pages on this site use structured semantic markup. Separation of structure (HTML), presentation (CSS) and behaviour (JavaScript) is practised where possible. We are continually testing and modifying all of Council's websites for accessibility but please note that there may be some legacy pages and/or pages developed by third-parties that are not fully compliant with our accessibility standards.

  • An invisible ‘Skip to content’ link has been provided at the top of each page of this website to enable users with screen readers to go directly to the content area of the page, bypassing the navigation. This link is hidden by default but can be accessed by screen readers, or by tapping the TAB key. 
  • A text-only site map provides links to all sections of the site in a more accessible format. The sitemap can be accessed via a link at the bottom of each page.
  • All navigation is usable directly by the keyboard, and does not require a mouse or JavaScript to function. The JavaScript only enhances the experience for users with JavaScript turned on.
  • Almost all links are text-based. If an image is used for any link, it will be placed directly next to a text-based version of the same link, or techniques are used to keep the text within the code so they are still text-friendly for screen readers.
  • Links are designed to be easily distinguished from regular text and headlines that are not clickable.
  • Link content text is contextual when possible (eg. Instead of ‘more’ or ‘click here’, the link may read ‘read more about council’) to give context to the link, and make navigation easier for screen readers.

Text size and colour

The colour of text on this site meets recommended contrast levels to support those with low vision, and use relative font sizing rather than fixed font sizing. Some users may find increasing the text size within their browser makes reading pages easier.

You can change the text size in your browser (latest versions) by doing any of the following:

  • click the toolbar menu button, then select ‘Zoom’ and choose a larger size (the default is 100%).
  • hold down the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel (if you have one).
  • hold down the Ctrl key and push the + or - key.

Images, animations and effects

  • A alternate text description has been added to each meaningful image. This will assist screen readers and users who browse the internet with images off.
  • Animations and flashing effects have been avoided where possible. Any animations are less than 400ms in duration and are used to convey information or an action (e.g. toggling showing and hiding of content), not for purely aesthetic reasons. 

Forms

All forms are built with accessibility in mind, including:

  • Use of the label tag. The label specifically associates a piece of text with a form field which benefits screen readers. Also, if text within a label is clicked, the associated form field is brought into focus which increases general usability.
  • Keyboard navigation. All forms can be used entirely via the keyboard without requiring a mouse or other pointing device.
  • Input validation. If a form is submitted incorrectly, the error message returned informs the user of missing information clearly and logically, without requiring JavaScript.

Printing options

Content pages on our website are optimised for printing offline, and are specifically designed for hard-copy and legibility. The navigation menus and other design elements will be removed and the text will wrap to the page margins, ready for printing.

This will aid those who prefer to read articles offline and/or cannot read them on a computer monitor. It may be necessary to enable the printing of background images in your print settings if you want to closely replicate the on-screen layout. 

PDFs and non-HTML documents 

Some documents on this site are not available as HTML web pages, documents such as forms and maps. Instead they are published in non-HTML formats - such as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and Microsoft Word - that may not be accessible to everyone, particularly screen reader users. While we have converted some simple document forms into online forms, this is not technically possible for all forms.

Where possible, all PDF documents were created using best-practice accessibility techniques, and we aim to provide an accessible summary of all non-HTML documents, including the type and size of the file. This allows you to decide whether the document will be useful to you. You will also find contact details so you can request the document in another format.

While modern web browsers can visually display PDF documents, users of assistive technologies are advised to use Adobe Acrobat Reader's accessibility features. You can download it free from Adobe.

Why we provide documents in PDF format

We acknowledge that PDF documents can cause problems for some users. We are working to reduce the amount of website content contained exclusively in PDFs. When created correctly, PDFs can be accessible. We prioritise the creation of accessible content based on criteria including the size and specialist nature of the audience for the content, the time and cost restraints to create accessible versions and the likely lifespan of the content.

Contact us if you need help with PDFs or you're having other accessibility issues with our site.

Web browsers and other tools

While Council does its best to support users with older browsers, the reality is that some of our online/electronic resources are enhanced by the use of modern standards-compliant browsers which have both JavaScript and cookies enabled. Upgrading your web browser to the latest version is the best way to ensure all accessibility features are available. Running modern, standards-compliant browsers allows the user to access resources, materials and the World Wide Web as it was originally intended. Latest releases for the major web browsers can be downloaded from:

Some third-party tools can make it easier for people with disabilities to view and navigate web content. These include:

Related Links

  • Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
    WAI, in coordination with organisations around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.