Accessibility Statement

Our Commitment

The Maldives Paralympic Committee (MPC) is committed to ensuring that this website is accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. We believe that inclusion extends beyond the field of sport — it applies equally to how we communicate and share information online.

This website aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). We also use relevant guidance from WCAG 2.2, including its minimum target-size criterion.

Conformance Status

This website aims to conform with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. An external review on 1 October 2026 found no Level AA failures in the areas it tested across 12 public routes. Its coverage was partial and does not establish full conformance. A documented manual screen-reader sign-off has not yet been completed for the current release. Automated and browser-assisted checks cannot identify every possible accessibility barrier, so we continue to welcome feedback from users.

Area Status Notes
Keyboard Navigation Browser-tested Interactive elements use visible focus styles, predictable disclosure controls, and keyboard-operable navigation, dialogs, pagination, and motion controls.
Screen Reader Support Manual test pending Structure, labels, status messages, and focus behaviour were reviewed in code and browser checks. A recorded assistive-technology test is still required for the current release.
Colour Contrast Browser-tested The 1 October 2026 review checked sampled text and controls in the site's light and dark appearances and the toolbar's High, Light and Dark contrast modes. Those samples met the applicable WCAG AA contrast thresholds. Uploaded media requires separate review.
Images & Alt Text CMS-enforced Published meaningful images have text alternatives. The CMS requires alternative text when staff add an image; decorative images use an empty alt attribute.
Forms Implemented All fields have associated labels, required attributes, and inline error messages.
Skip Navigation Implemented A skip-to-main-content link is present and visible on focus on every page.
Responsive Design Implemented Layouts use flexible CSS Grid and Flexbox patterns for mobile, tablet, and desktop screens.
Motion & Animation Implemented Animations respect prefers-reduced-motion. The photo carousel has visible Pause and Resume controls; the sponsor strip reveals its control on keyboard focus and can also be stopped with the accessibility widget's Stop Animations option.
Touch Targets Implemented Primary interactive controls, including the skip link, are designed with targets of at least 44×44 CSS pixels. This is an enhanced design target, not a blanket WCAG 2.1 AA requirement; WCAG 2.2 Level AA defines a 24×24 minimum with exceptions.
Photo Gallery Images CMS-enforced Gallery covers and photos include text descriptions that communicate their essential visual content. MPC staff review and update those descriptions whenever the images or related information change.

Accessibility Toolbar

Every page includes an optional accessibility toolbar. Its controls stay closed until you activate the floating Accessibility button at the bottom-right; activating it opens a settings panel from the right. You can close the panel at any time. You can also hide the button; a “Show accessibility button” control at the end of every page restores it whenever you want. Your choices are remembered as you move between pages. The toolbar complements browser and operating-system accessibility settings; it does not replace accessible page design.

  • Text adjustments — font size (four steps), line height (1.3×, 1.6×, 2×), and letter spacing
  • Font style — Default, Sans Serif, Serif, or Easy reading, a preset using common system fonts and increased word spacing
  • Contrast modes — high contrast, light contrast, and dark contrast
  • Colour tools — Colour Shift changes image and video hues; Grayscale removes colour from images and videos. Text, controls and focus indicators keep their original colours. These media filters and the contrast modes are alternatives: choosing one replaces the other colour setting.
  • Reading Guide — a line that follows pointer, touch, or keyboard focus to help you keep your place
  • Reduce distractions — reduces animations and visual clutter
  • Large Cursor — an oversized, high-visibility mouse pointer
  • Stop Animations, Highlight Links, Hide Images, and Enhanced Focus Indicators
  • Page Structure — lists all headings, landmarks, and links on the page for quick navigation

Technical Specifications

This website is built using:

  • HTML5 with semantic elements: <header>, <nav>, <main>, <section>, <article>, <footer>, <figure>, <blockquote>
  • CSS using custom properties, CSS Grid, Flexbox, and flexible responsive layouts
  • Vanilla JavaScript — no frameworks; ARIA attributes managed programmatically
  • ARIA landmarks, aria-label, aria-current, aria-expanded, aria-pressed, aria-describedby, and role="alert" where appropriate
  • Text can be enlarged using browser zoom or the built-in text-size controls without disabling page functionality
  • All interactive elements have a visible :focus-visible outline of at least 2px

Content Management Safeguards

Staff can manage website content without editing code. The CMS supports accessible publishing by requiring alternative text when an image is added to:

  • news stories and newsletters;
  • gallery album covers and individual gallery photos;
  • homepage carousel slides;
  • Executive Committee member profiles; and
  • member-association logos.

These checks make it harder to publish an image without a text alternative, but staff remain responsible for ensuring each description is accurate, concise, and useful. Publishing guidance also covers descriptive titles and links, logical heading order, and reviewing new content with keyboard and assistive technology.

Known Limitations

  • News, gallery, carousel, committee, and association content can change through the CMS. New content will need ongoing editorial review to make sure image descriptions, link wording, headings, and colour choices remain accessible.
  • The embedded Google Maps iframe is provided by a third-party service. We provide full address information in text form as an alternative.
  • Protected staff screens are maintained separately from the public website and require a separate keyboard and assistive-technology review.
  • Future documents or media supplied by third parties may not be fully accessible when first published. Please contact us if you need any item in an alternative format.

Compatibility and Testing

The external review of 1 October 2026 sampled 12 public routes. It checked page structure, headings and landmarks, image alternatives, form labels, control names, ARIA references, keyboard focus, target sizes, and sampled colour contrast. Album and news detail pages and the staff CMS were outside that review. The route count describes the review sample, not every page or CMS record on the website.

That review did not verify 320 CSS-pixel reflow, text-spacing overrides, 200% browser zoom, or assistive-technology behaviour. These require separate checks; no complete accessibility certification is claimed.

The following screen-reader and browser combinations are intended compatibility targets; they have not yet been manually verified for this release. Compatibility will continue to be checked as browsers and assistive technologies change:

  • NVDA with Chrome or Firefox on Windows
  • VoiceOver with Safari on macOS and iOS
  • TalkBack with Chrome on Android
  • Keyboard-only navigation, browser zoom up to 200%, and operating-system high-contrast settings

Feedback & Contact

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of this website. If you experience any barriers, find content you cannot access, or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

Maldives Paralympic Committee
Ground Floor, National Stadium, Shabnam Magu, Malé
Republic of Maldives, P.O. 20102
Email: admin@paralympic.org.mv
Phone: +960 7363888 · +960 7709181

Or use our online accessibility contact form.

When reporting a problem, please include the page address, what you were trying to do, and — if you are comfortable sharing it — your device, browser, and assistive technology. We will acknowledge and address accessibility feedback as soon as reasonably possible. You may also ask for website information in an alternative format.

Ongoing Improvement

Accessibility is an ongoing responsibility. Review is triggered by a new album, a new news category or template, a new Executive Committee cycle, substantial feature changes, or feedback identifying a barrier. Checks include image descriptions, link wording, heading order, keyboard access and the new content's layout. Confirmed issues will be recorded, prioritised, and addressed according to their effect on users.

This accessibility statement was last reviewed on , following the external review and related code improvements; documented manual screen-reader sign-off remains pending.