Accessibility (ADA) Policy

At Shell Sanctuary, we are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. As a site focused on pet turtle care and resources for turtle owners, we are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards to achieve this goal.

Our Commitment

We strive to provide a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website and in doing so, adhere to many of the available standards and guidelines.

Conformance Status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

Shell Sanctuary is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. “Partially conformant” means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard. We are continuously monitoring and working to improve our conformance level.

Measures to Support Accessibility

Shell Sanctuary takes the following measures to ensure accessibility:

  • Integrating accessibility into our development process: We consider accessibility at all stages of website development and maintenance.
  • Employing formal accessibility quality assurance methods: We use a combination of automated testing tools and manual evaluation to identify and fix accessibility barriers.
  • Providing continual accessibility training for our staff: We ensure our team members are equipped with the knowledge to create and maintain accessible content.
  • Appointing an accessibility officer or team: We have dedicated individuals who oversee and manage our accessibility initiatives.

Technical Specifications

Accessibility of Shell Sanctuary relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML
  • WAI-ARIA
  • CSS
  • JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Compatibility with Browsers and Assistive Technology

Shell Sanctuary is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:

  • Screen readers (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)
  • Screen magnification software
  • Voice recognition software
  • Keyboard-only navigation

The website is designed to be compatible with the current and recent versions of major web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Limitations and Alternatives

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of Shell Sanctuary, there may be some limitations. Please contact us if you observe an issue. Below is a description of known limitations and potential alternatives.

  • Third-Party Content: Our site may include content from third-party sources, such as embedded care videos, maps, or social media feeds, which we do not fully control. We cannot guarantee the accessibility of this third-party content, but we will make reasonable efforts to work with vendors to improve it.
  • Archived Documents: Some historical care guides or reports may be presented as scanned images without text alternatives. We are actively working to remediate these archives.
  • Ongoing Improvements: We are constantly seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility. In the meantime, should you experience any difficulty in accessing the Shell Sanctuary website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Shell Sanctuary. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers. We try to respond to feedback within 45 business days.

    When contacting us, please provide as much detail as possible about the issue you encountered and the page where it occurred.

    Formal Complaints

    We aim to promptly and respectfully respond to and resolve accessibility feedback. If you are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to pursue further action by filing a formal complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act or other applicable laws. We are committed to working with you to resolve any issues fairly and transparently.

    Assessment Approach

    Shell Sanctuary assesses the accessibility of its website through the following approaches:

    • Self-evaluation conducted by our internal team.