Clinics and healthcare practices

People rarely visit a clinic's website for fun. They arrive with a purpose: to book an appointment, find out whether a practitioner is accepting new patients, check hours, download an intake form or request a prescription refill. Many of them are dealing with pain, reduced mobility, low vision or the effects of medication. A website that cannot be used with a keyboard, a screen reader or a magnified screen turns a routine task into a phone call, a missed appointment or a visit somewhere else.

About 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported one or more disabilities in 2022 (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability 2022). For dental offices, physiotherapy and chiropractic clinics, optometrists, medical clinics and pharmacies, that share of the public is likely to be well represented among patients. Under the Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation, Man. Reg. 47/2022, organizations with one or more employees in Manitoba have been covered since May 1, 2025, and web content must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)).

Where websites in this sector usually fail

The patterns below come up often on healthcare websites. They are typical issues, not findings about any particular practice.

The journeys we test first

We prioritize the tasks patients most need to complete without help:

• Booking, changing or cancelling an appointment online
• Finding hours, location, parking and entrance accessibility information
• Completing a new-patient intake or health history form
• Requesting a prescription refill or transfer
• Checking which services, practitioners and direct-billing options are available
• Contacting the clinic by form, email or phone link

Each journey is tested with keyboard only, NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, text resized to 200% and content reflowed at 320 CSS px, in addition to automated scans. See our method for details.

Beyond the website

Man. Reg. 47/2022 covers more than web pages. In a clinic setting, three sections have practical day-to-day effects.

Accessible formats and communication supports (s. 5 (opens in a new tab))

Patients should know they can ask for information in a format that works for them. In practice, that might mean a notice at reception and on the website that intake forms, aftercare instructions or receipts are available in large print, as an accessible electronic file, or read aloud, and that staff can communicate by email or text where a phone call does not work.

Feedback process (s. 9 (opens in a new tab))

Patients need a way to tell you about accessibility barriers, and that process itself must be accessible. A short web form, an email address and a phone option, all clearly listed, usually serve a practice well.

Training (s. 4 (opens in a new tab))

Front desk staff who answer the phone, the person who updates the website, and whoever chooses booking or patient-communication software all fall within the training requirement. Training should happen as soon as reasonably practicable. Large employers must also document a training policy (s. 4(4) (opens in a new tab)).

What an engagement looks like

Clinic websites are often a mix of a content management system such as WordPress or a hosted site builder, plus embedded third-party tools for booking, intake or payments. Our process accounts for both.

1. Audit. We test your key journeys and pages against all 50 WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria and document each issue with its location.
2. Fixed quote. You receive a written quote for remediation. There is no hourly billing.
3. Remediation that preserves your design. We repair code, labels, contrast and structure with the least visible change, so the site still looks like yours. Where an embedded booking or intake tool is outside your direct control, we document it, consider the exceptions in s. 7(2) (opens in a new tab), and help you raise the issues with the provider or arrange an alternative way to book.
4. Verification. We retest every fix with assistive technology.
5. Compliance pack. You receive the documentation the regulation calls for, including notice and feedback wording and training material for your team.

We never install overlay widgets. If anything we repaired is later found not to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, we correct it at no charge. See a sample report.

To see where your practice's website stands, contact us. You can also call (431) 816-6210 or email hello@prairieaccessibility.ca.

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.