A site you can use your way.

AskCanada AI should be usable by someone who uses a keyboard, a screen reader, browser zoom, or either official language. This statement says what we aim for, what we know is limited, and how to tell us when a page gets in the way.

We are a small independent website. This statement is not a certificate, and it is not a claim that every screen has been formally audited.

We design toward the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA. That is the target for new pages and for changes to existing ones. Meeting a guideline on one page does not mean every flow has been tested against every success criterion.

We also keep in mind the kind of usability people expect from a public service. AskCanada AI is not a government institution, and this page is not a government accessibility plan under the Accessible Canada Act.

The site is available in English and French. The language is in the address, /en or /fr, and can be switched from the header and the footer. Answers are written in the language of the page, from official pages in that language when they exist.

Switching language opens the same kind of page in the other language. It does not translate a government website we link to. Those sites set their own language.

The main actions can be reached with a keyboard: asking a question, moving through the chat, opening links, and using the menus. Focus is visible, so you can see which control is active.

We do not require a pointer for the primary path. Some visual extras, such as a decorative map, are not the only way to reach the information.

Controls have names. Images that are decorative are hidden from assistive technology. Images that carry meaning have a text alternative. Headings follow the page structure, and the page title changes with the page.

Answers are text. Citations are links with a visible name, not a colour alone. A card under an answer has a heading and a link to the official page.

Text can be resized with the browser. Layouts are meant to reflow rather than force a sideways scroll for ordinary reading. We use colour together with text, not colour alone, to mark things like a source that is allowed or blocked.

Contrast is part of the design target. If a combination is hard to read, that is something we want to hear about. The contact page is the place.

Answers are written in plain language, with short sentences, because a cited government rule is already hard enough to follow. Plain language is part of accessibility. It is not a substitute for the official page.

We do not simplify by dropping an exception when the official page states one. If the page is complicated, the answer should say so and link to it.

The contact form, the feedback dialog, and the source suggestion field have labels. Errors are written in text, not only by turning a border red. A message that is too short says what is missing.

Name and email on the contact form are optional. The message is required. The form can be completed with a keyboard.

Some parts of the site move: the header, a step illustration, a short transition. Motion is meant to be brief and not required to understand the page. Where the browser says you prefer reduced motion, we aim to respect that.

If something keeps moving and gets in the way, tell us. Include the page and what you were doing.

Pages use a header, a main region, and a footer. Legal pages like this one have a list of sections and a heading for each. The chat page is a tool: a place to type, a transcript, and supporting cards.

We keep the same header links on the public pages so the way around the site does not change from page to page.

The question field has a label. Answers appear as text in the conversation. Source links can be followed without using the mouse. A card that shows a figure also links to the official page the figure came from.

A long answer can still be tiring to read. We keep sentences short for that reason. If a card or a calculator cannot be used with your setup, the cited page is the source of the rule, and you can tell us which control failed.

We know the service is not finished. A complex calculator, a map, a third-party widget, or a new card can be harder to use than the page around it. We work on those as we find them.

We do not publish a formal audit. We review with a keyboard, with zoom, and with screen readers as we change the site. That review can miss something. A report from you is part of how we find it.

Links to government websites leave AskCanada AI. Those sites are not covered by this statement. A PDF on a government site, a login, or a video on that site follows that site's own accessibility.

We also rely on a browser, an operating system, and assistive software we do not make. A problem that only appears in one combination may take longer to reproduce. Tell us the browser and the tool you use if you can.

The site is a website. It needs a current browser with JavaScript. It is not a native app. It is free to use. We look at current versions of the major browsers on a desktop screen and on a phone-sized screen.

An older browser can open the page and still fail on a control. If you are stuck, the contact page is a plain form. The official government page cited in an answer remains the source of the rule.

If you hit a barrier, write to us on the contact page and choose Accessibility. Say the page, what you were trying to do, and what happened. If you need the information another way while we look at it, say what would work, such as a short written explanation.

We will reply if you leave an email. We cannot promise a date for every fix. We will read the report and use it. The How it works page has a shorter note on the same aim.

A message about accessibility is stored the same way as any other contact message. The privacy notice describes that storage. Do not include a social insurance number or a government file number.

You do not have to describe your disability. The page, the control, and what you expected are enough for us to look.

We update this statement when the way the site is built changes in a way that matters to access. The date at the top is the latest version.

The source policy describes how answers are sourced. That is separate from whether a page can be operated. Questions about either page can go to the contact page.