HUCSC Market
Policies

Accessibility

Last updated 31 July 2026

We want every Huron and Western student to be able to buy and sell a textbook here, including students who use a screen reader, navigate by keyboard, need larger text, or are sensitive to motion. This page says what we have done, what we know is still imperfect, and how to tell us when something blocks you.

Our commitment

HUCSC Market aims to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the standard referenced by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and used as the benchmark in most accessibility law. Accessibility is treated as part of building a feature, not as a cleanup pass afterwards.

We are being straight with you about status. This Site has not had a formal third-party audit, and it has not yet been tested by a panel of users with disabilities. Saying otherwise would be easy and dishonest. What follows is an accurate account of the work that has actually been done and the gaps we know about.

What has been done

  • Keyboard access throughout. Every control, including the mobile menu, filters, reveal-contact, and the photo uploader, can be reached and operated with a keyboard alone. Every focusable element has a visible focus outline.
  • Skip to content. The first item you reach with the Tab key on any page is a link that jumps past the header navigation straight to the main content.
  • Motion respects your settings. The Site has a lot of custom animation. All of it honours the operating-system “reduce motion” preference, and turns off when that is set. Content is never hidden behind an animation, so if scripts fail to run, the page still shows everything.
  • Colour contrast. Body and small text were checked against the WCAG AA 4.5 to 1 ratio and the muted text colour was darkened where it failed. Colour is never the only way information is conveyed.
  • Semantic structure. Real headings in order, real lists, real buttons and links rather than clickable divs, landmark regions, and a page language declared on every page.
  • Images. Book photos carry descriptive alternative text. Purely decorative graphics are hidden from screen readers so they do not add noise.
  • Forms. Every field has a visible, associated label. Errors are described in text, not by colour alone.
  • Responsive and zoomable. Pages reflow to a single column on a phone and remain usable at 200 percent zoom without horizontal scrolling.
  • Links that leave the site say so, so a screen-reader user is not moved without warning.

How it was checked

  • Manual keyboard-only walkthrough of every page and flow.
  • Automated checks for contrast, alternative text, landmarks, and heading order.
  • Testing at mobile, tablet, and desktop widths, in both portrait and landscape.
  • Testing with the reduced-motion preference on and off, and with scripts blocked.

Known limitations, stated plainly

These are real and we are working on them:

  • No independent audit yet. No formal third-party assessment and no usability testing with assistive-technology users has been carried out.
  • Listing photos rely on sellers. Alternative text for book photos is generated from the listing title. It tells you which book the photo is of, but it does not describe the visible condition of the copy. If a photo matters to your decision, ask the seller.
  • Screen-reader coverage is partial. Testing has focused on keyboard navigation and structure. Broad testing across NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver is still to be done.
  • Third-party destinations. When you contact a seller through Instagram or Snapchat you leave this Site. We have no control over the accessibility of those platforms.
  • Decorative type is large. Some display headings use a heavy condensed typeface for visual identity. It meets contrast requirements, but it is denser than body text.

Tell us about a barrier, and what happens next

If any part of this Site stops you from doing something, please tell us. Email ryanplumley25@gmail.com with “Accessibility” in the subject line. It helps if you can say which page, what you were trying to do, and what device, browser, or assistive technology you were using, but send it even if you cannot.

We will acknowledge your message within 3 business days and tell you what we are going to do about it. If the fix is quick we will just do it. If it will take longer, we will give you a timeline and, in the meantime, help you complete what you were trying to do another way, including posting or finding a book for you directly.

You can also request any information on this Site in an accessible format, or with communication support, at no extra cost. Ask at the same address and we will work out with you what format is suitable.

Formal details

  • Conformance target: WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
  • Conformance status: partially conformant. Most of the Site meets the target; the limitations above are not yet fully verified against it.
  • Scope: all pages at londontextbooks.com. Third-party platforms reached through seller contact links are out of scope.
  • Assessment approach: internal self-evaluation, manual and automated.
  • Statement prepared: 31 July 2026. Reviewed whenever the Site changes materially.

Questions about anything on this page? Email ryanplumley25@gmail.com. We read every message and answer within a few days.