The San Francisco Zoo & Gardens Blog

Accessibility Statement

Compliance status:

We strongly believe in the importance of making the Internet available and accessible to everyone. Therefore, we are dedicated to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of their circumstances or abilities.

To achieve this goal, we strive to adhere closely to the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines provide instructions on how to make web content accessible to people with various disabilities. By following these guidelines, we ensure that our website is accessible to individuals with visual impairments, motor impairments, cognitive disabilities, and more.

Our website incorporates technologies that enhance accessibility at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows users with specific disabilities to customize the website's user interface (UI) according to their needs.

Additionally, our website employs an AI-based application that continuously optimizes its accessibility level. This application enhances the website's HTML and adjusts its functionality and behavior for screen-reader users and individuals with motor impairments.

If you come across any malfunctions or have suggestions for improvement, we welcome your feedback. Please contact the website's operators at the following email address: [contactEmail].

Screen reader and keyboard navigation:

Our website has implemented the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique and other behavioral modifications to ensure that visitors using screen readers can effectively read, understand, and interact with the website. Upon entering the site, screen reader users are prompted to enter the Screen-Reader Profile, enabling them to browse and navigate the website seamlessly. Here are some important ways our website addresses screen reader requirements:

Screen-reader optimization:

We employ a background process that comprehensively learns the website's components, ensuring ongoing compliance even during updates. This process provides screen readers with meaningful data using ARIA attributes. For instance, we provide accurate form labels, descriptions for actionable icons (e.g., social media icons, search icons, cart icons), validation guidance for form inputs, and proper roles for elements like buttons, menus, and modal dialogues. Additionally, the background process scans all website images, generating accurate and meaningful descriptions using image-object-recognition-based ALT tags. It also extracts embedded text within images using optical character recognition (OCR) technology. Users can activate screen reader adjustments at any time by pressing the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Upon entering the website, screen reader users receive automatic announcements to enable the Screen-Reader mode.

Keyboard navigation optimization:

The background process enhances the website's HTML and adds JavaScript code to enable keyboard operability. This includes features such as navigating the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operating dropdown menus with arrow keys, closing them with Esc, triggering buttons and links using the Enter key, navigating between radio buttons and checkboxes with arrow keys, and filling them in with the Spacebar or Enter key. Keyboard users can access quick navigation and content-skip menus at any time by pressing Alt+1 or by finding them as the first elements while navigating using the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by focusing the keyboard on them when they appear, preventing the focus from drifting outside.

Our adjustments are compatible with popular screen readers like JAWS and NVDA.

Disability profiles supported on our website:

Our website provides various disability profiles to support individuals with specific accessibility needs:

• Epilepsy Safe Mode: This profile eliminates the risk of seizures caused by flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
• Visually Impaired Mode: This mode adjusts the website to accommodate users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataracts, Glaucoma, and others.
• Cognitive Disability Mode: This mode offers assistive options for users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, helping them focus on essential website elements.
• ADHD-Friendly Mode: This mode assists users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders in reading, browsing, and maintaining focus on the main website elements while reducing distractions.
• Blindness Mode: This mode ensures compatibility with screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack, which are essential software for blind users.
• Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): This profile enables individuals with motor impairments to navigate the website using keyboard keys like Tab, Shift+Tab, and Enter. Users can also utilize shortcuts like "M" for menus, "H" for headings, "F" for forms, "B" for buttons, and "G" for graphics to jump to specific elements.

Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments:

We offer several UI, design, and readability adjustments to enhance the user experience for all visitors:

• Font adjustments: Users can modify the font size, family (type), spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
• Color adjustments: Users can select different color contrast profiles (light, dark, inverted, monochrome) and swap color schemes for titles, texts, and backgrounds using over seven different coloring options.
• Animations: Epileptic users can stop all animations, including videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions, with a single click.
• Content highlighting: Users can emphasize important elements such as links and titles or choose to highlight only focused or hovered elements.
• Audio muting: Users with hearing devices can instantly mute the entire website to avoid headaches or other issues caused by automatic audio playback.
• Cognitive disorders: We utilize a search engine linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing users with cognitive disorders to decipher the meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and other content.
• Additional functions: We provide users with options to change cursor color and size, activate a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and access many other features.

Browser and assistive technology compatibility:

We strive to support a wide range of browsers and assistive technologies, allowing users to choose the tools that best suit their needs. Our website has been extensively tested and works well on major systems, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. We ensure compatibility with screen readers like JAWS and NVDA, both for Windows and MAC users.

Notes, comments, and feedback:

While we have made significant efforts to make our website accessible to everyone, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible or lack adequate technological solutions. We are continuously improving our accessibility features, incorporating new technologies, and working towards achieving the optimal level of accessibility. If you require assistance or have any feedback, please contact us at [contactEmail].