CBC and Digital Accessibility

Digital accessibility refers to how well people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges can access our digital content. We are committed to all Canadians. Creating and maintaining digital experiences that are accessible to the widest possible audience is a priority for CBC.

New CBC projects undergo assessments to ensure that they follow accessibility guidelines and best practices. At CBC we are working towards compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA (WCAG 2.1 AA), an internationally accepted standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Accessibility Feedback

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of our digital experiences. If you have a question or comment, please email us at accessibility@cbc.ca.

About Closed Captioning

Many people use captions to enjoy their favourite TV programs, but few understand how the captions are made. Most people think captions are created automatically by computers.

In fact, captions are created by people—highly skilled and trained people. Computers aren’t smart enough yet to accurately caption the content in live broadcasts.

Captioning live programming, like news and sports, is the hardest part of a captioner’s job because the captions have to be created at the same time as the broadcast. This video explains how live captioners generate accurate and timely captions under pressure.

Watch with Closed Captions

Watch with ASL

Tips for Browsing on CBC and Elsewhere on the Web

Some accessibility features are built into computer operating systems and web browsers. Try the following methods to simplify your web browsing experience.

Magnify the Screen

Many web browsers allow you to zoom in on web pages using simple keyboard controls. The magnifier allows you to focus on specific parts of the screen, enlarging the text and other page elements.

  • For Windows operating systems, press Ctrl and + to zoom in on a web page (Ctrl and – to zoom out).
  • For Mac operating systems, press Cmd and + to zoom in on a Web page (Cmd and – to zoom out).

Customize the Mouse Pointer

You can customize a computer mouse pointer in several ways. For example, you can slow down the speed of the mouse pointer for easier handling. You can also change its appearance so that it contrasts more with the screen content.

Learn how to change mouse settings for Windows operating systems:

Learn how to change mouse settings for Mac operating systems:

Make the Computer Speak Aloud

Many computers have text-reading features, but they can be limited in what they offer. For example Windows Narrator reads only menus and dialogue boxes, but not blocks of text. Windows Narrator is available in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8.

For Microsoft Windows, software is available that offers more advanced screen-reading capabilities (both free and commercial). A popular free and open source screen reader is NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access). The two most common commercial screen readers are JAWS and Window-Eyes.

For Mac users, VoiceOver is available as a standard part of the OS X operating system.