Accessibility
Accessibility statement
Our audience includes people using screen readers, magnifiers, keyboard-only navigation, and reduced-motion settings. We build for that, and we want to know when we get it wrong.
Our commitment
Our Mate is designed to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA. That is the standard the Australian Human Rights Commission recommends for government and consumer-facing sites under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
Last self-reviewed against the standard: 3 June 2026.
What we build for
- Keyboard navigation. Every interactive element is reachable and operable with Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, and Space. Focus is visible on every focusable control.
- Screen readers. Headings nest properly, landmarks are labelled, images carry meaningful alt text or are explicitly decorative, and live regions announce status updates.
- Magnifiers and zoom. Layouts hold up at 200% browser zoom and on small screens. No fixed-height containers that cut off content.
- Reduced motion. Animations honour the prefers-reduced-motion setting.
- Readable typography. Body text uses the Atkinson Hyperlegible typeface, designed by the Braille Institute for low-vision readers. Body size is 16px or larger; line height is 1.5 or above on prose.
- Maps with alternatives.Every map is paired with a text list of the same results; a “hide map” toggle is available for visitors who don’t need the visual.
- Touch targets. Interactive controls are at least 44 by 44 CSS pixels.
Known limitations
Honesty matters more than a clean list. Things we know aren’t at the standard yet, and what we’re doing about them:
- External map tiles.The map tiles are served by OpenStreetMap; we don’t control their contrast or labelling. The text list of results is the authoritative source.
- Embedded provider content. Where a provider has uploaded their own photos and descriptions, the alt text quality varies. We surface a moderation queue for missing alt text and ask owners to add it.
- Article content typography. Long-form editorial pieces are currently rendered as plain text while we finalise the prose styling pass. Headings still nest correctly; the visual hierarchy is the rough edge.
Found a barrier? Tell us
If something on the site is hard to use with your assistive technology, please email accessibility@ourmate.com.au. Helpful detail to include:
- The URL you were on.
- What you tried to do.
- What happened instead.
- The assistive technology in use (screen reader and version, browser, operating system) if you’re comfortable sharing.
We respond to accessibility reports within five business days, with either a fix or an honest timeline.