Using this site, whatever you use to read it

People come to a psychiatric practice at difficult times, and often on a phone, in a hurry, or when concentrating is hard. A site that is awkward to use is a barrier to care, not just an inconvenience. This page says what we have done about that, and what we have not.

What this site does

• Text contrast is measured, not guessed. Body text and links were checked numerically against their actual backgrounds to meet the WCAG AA threshold of 4.5:1. Several brand colours did not pass and were changed rather than kept.
• Every image has a text alternative. Decorative images are marked as decorative so a screen reader skips them instead of reading out a filename.
• It works without JavaScript. The page content, navigation and footer are all present before any script runs. With JavaScript off you lose the animations and the menu toggles, and nothing else.
• Keyboard navigation works, with visible focus outlines, and a "Skip to content" link as the first thing you reach on every page.
• Motion respects your settings. If your device is set to reduce motion, the animations are turned off rather than merely shortened.
• Text resizes. Type is set in relative units, so browser zoom and larger default font sizes work as expected.
• Headings are in order, so a screen reader can move through a page by structure, and the page language is declared.
• No pop-ups, no interstitials, no cookie banner, and no tracking. Nothing appears over what you are reading.

What we have not done, and will not claim

This site has not had a formal accessibility audit, and we are not claiming full conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA. The work above was done carefully and checked, but careful is not the same as audited, and a statement that overstates is worth less than one that is honest.

Known limitations we are aware of today:

• No testing has been done with every combination of screen reader and browser.
• Some third-party pages we link to, including booking and payment, are outside our control and we cannot promise their accessibility.
• Where a PDF is ever published, it may not be as accessible as a web page. Ask and we will provide the content another way.

Telling us about a problem

If something on this site gets in your way, please tell us. It will be treated as a fault to fix rather than a complaint to log, and you do not need to explain why you need it or describe a diagnosis.

Email care@goldenturas.com with the page and what happened. Something as short as "the booking page will not work with my screen reader" is enough to act on.

If it is easier, say what you need and we will do it another way: read something out, send information in a different format, or take a booking directly rather than through a form.

Accessibility of care, not just of the website

A website is the easy half. If you need an adjustment to take part in care, ask at intake or at any point afterwards. Examples of things people ask for, all of which are fine:

• Written summaries after a visit, rather than relying on memory
• Longer appointments, or appointments broken into shorter sessions
• Communication in writing rather than by phone, or the reverse
• A support person present
• An interpreter

Telehealth removes some barriers and creates others. If travel is the obstacle, video helps. If video is the obstacle, say so, because in-person visits are available in Ventura County.