VisAble’s Accessibility Statement March 2026
Our commitment to accessibility
VisAble is committed to ensuring that our website is accessible and usable for as many people as possible.
We want all tāngata and whānau whaikaha Māori, tagata sa’ilimalo and their āiga-tele, d/Deaf, neurodivergent and disabled people, Adults at Risk, and their families to be able to access the information and services on this site.
Accessibility is central to our vision
Enabling safe lives free from harm, abuse and violence, where people are heard and the community and systems are aware of and responsive to risk.
Our approach to accessibility
VisAble is aiming that our online content is
easy to access, easy to understand and easy to use.
A lot of the subject matter about disability and FVSV is specialised or technical, and so there’s a lot of sector jargon.
This means sector-related words, phrases or technical terms used within the disability sector, FVSV sector, and related professions are sometimes difficult for other people to understand.
This is what we’ve got in place (and have planned) to make VisAble’s website content more accessible. We hope to expand on this if funding applications are successful.
Features to assist accessibility
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We aim for the website content to be easy to understand, writing it in plain English, as much as possible.
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We’ve set up a glossary to help explain technical terms and sector jargon.
Just click on the highlighted word or phrase OR search the glossary for a definition of the word you need. -
A lot of the content is available in EasyRead formats.
Please provide feedback- tell us what’s working for you, what’s not, and whether you want more content in EasyRead (e.g. any specific topics?). -
Safeguarding explained:
We’ve created specific content - called Safeguarding: What is it - to help you understand what safeguarding is about, who’s usually involved, and what to expect. -
Some sections have ‘Read screen’ functionality.
If you see a ‘Read screen’ box at the top of the web page, click on it to have the content read out loud. -
We’re searching for video clips and/or short webinars to explain the content verbally or visually.
This is a work in progress.
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We don’t have the immediate budget to translate core content into New Zealand sign language. We hope to develop this access in future.
We’re applying for a grant that might enable in 2026 (subject to our application being successful).
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We don’t have the immediate budget to translate core content into te reo Māori. We hope to develop this access in future.
We’re applying for a grant that might enable this in 2026 (subject to our application being successful).
We’re hoping that those of our DAPAR partners whose services are tailored for Māori and Pasifika peoples will help convey relevant content from this website in appropriate languages.
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We don’t have the immediate budget to translate core content into other languages, including Pasifika languages. We hope to develop this access in future.
We’re hoping that those of our DAPAR partners whose services are tailored for Māori and Pasifika peoples will help convey relevant content from this website in appropriate languages.
Usability review, 2025
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Some issues cannot be fully fixed by us because they are built into third-party plugins that we use. We are actively engaging with these providers to encourage improvements.
Shielded plugin
The Shielded plugin is an important safety tool. However, we are aware of the following issues:
Keyboard users cannot scroll within the Shielded iframe.
When the Shielded modal opens, keyboard focus is not managed inside the modal.
Impact: Users who rely on keyboards or screen readers may not be able to fully access or exit the Shielded tool.
Squarespace checkout (Donation form)
Squarespace provides the checkout page we use for processing donations through Stripe. We are aware of the following accessibility issues on this page:
Some required fields are not marked programmatically as mandatory.
Placeholder text is used instead of visible labels in the address section.
Error messages are not always linked to the relevant input fields.
An accordion in the Donate checkout flow does not behave correctly when activated using a keyboard.
Impact: These issues make it difficult for people using screen readers or with cognitive accessibility needs to complete the donation process.
We have raised these issues with Squarespace, as they cannot be fixed with custom code on our side. We will apply improvements as soon as they become available.
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As part of the accessibility audit response, the following issues have already been addressed:
Navigation menus – now fully usable by keyboard, with labels that match what is visible on screen.
Form labels – added to donation frequency fields so they are clear to screen reader users.
Error messages (non-plugin forms) – fixed so that messages are now properly linked to their form fields.
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Working with Shielded and Stripe to advocate for accessibility improvements in their plugins.
Monitoring plugin updates to apply improvements as soon as they are available.
Reviewing and testing accessibility regularly, particularly after updates or design changes.
Your feedback matters
Please tell us about your experience of the website and what would improve its accessibility for you
What our website users have said about its accessibility
“Congratulations on the website, it’s so easy to use and has so much valuable information.” From a wahine Māori.
“Love the consistent purple and the kiwi vibe with lots of reo, plus a glossary.” From a parent with a disabled child.
“A lot of information all in one place. Wish it had been available some years ago.” Anonymous.
“It's so clear and easy to navigate and understand. Broken down by clear sections and written in a way that easy to understand and digest.”
From a person looking for information on Child to Parent Violence and Abuse.“I’d like a bit more space in the layout.” Anonymous
Contact us
If you experience any accessibility barriers on our website or need information in a different format, please contact us:
Email: info@visable.co.nz
Phone: 0800 99 88 58
Your feedback is important to us. It helps us improve and ensures that our services are as inclusive as possible.