Accessibility Statement

1. Conformance Status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

The BRICS International Forum website is fully conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AAA. Fully conformant means that the content fully conforms to the accessibility standard without any exceptions.

2. Measures to Support Accessibility

BRICS International Forum takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of our website:

• Include accessibility as a core part of our mission statement and organizational values
• Integrate accessibility requirements into our procurement practices
• Appoint a dedicated accessibility officer and team with clearly defined responsibilities
• Provide comprehensive accessibility training for all our staff
• Include people with diverse disabilities in our user testing processes
• Assign clear accessibility targets and responsibilities
• Conduct regular accessibility audits and implement immediate remediation
• Use automated testing tools in conjunction with manual testing
• Ensure all new content meets WCAG 2.1 Level AAA standards before publication

3. Technical Specifications

Accessibility of the BRICS International Forum website relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML5 with proper semantic markup
• WAI-ARIA 1.1 for enhanced accessibility features
• CSS3 for styling and responsive design
• JavaScript with accessibility considerations

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used and are tested with major screen readers including JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack.

4. Compatibility with Browsers and Assistive Technology

The BRICS International Forum website is designed to be compatible with the following browsers and assistive technologies:

Browsers:

• Latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
• Internet Explorer 11 and above
• Mobile browsers on iOS and Android

Assistive Technologies:

• Screen readers: JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack
• Speech recognition software: Dragon NaturallySpeaking
• Screen magnifiers
• Alternative input devices

5. Specific Accessibility Features

Our website includes the following accessibility features:

• Proper heading structure and semantic HTML
• Descriptive alt text for all images
• Keyboard accessibility for all interactive elements
• ARIA landmarks and roles
• Sufficient color contrast ratios exceeding WCAG AAA requirements
• Resizable text without loss of functionality
• No content that flashes more than three times per second
• Multiple ways to navigate content
• Clear focus indicators
• Skip navigation links
• Accessible form controls with proper labels
• Error identification and suggestions

6. Limitations and Alternatives

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of the BRICS International Forum website, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known limitations, and potential solutions. Please contact us if you observe an issue not listed below.

Known limitations for the BRICS International Forum website:

• Some older PDF documents are not properly tagged and might not be fully accessible to screen reader users. We are working to fix these issues and provide accessible alternatives where possible. In the meantime, please contact us for assistance with any specific document.
• Some third-party content may not be fully accessible. We are working with our partners to improve accessibility and provide alternative formats when necessary.

7. Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the BRICS International Forum website. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers:

• Phone: +91 9897755401
• E-mail: support@bricsforum.in
• Postal address: 705, New Delhi House, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi - 110001, India

We respond to all accessibility feedback within 2 business days, and usually within 24 hours.

8. Assessment Approach

BRICS International Forum assessed the accessibility of this website by the following approaches:

• Self-evaluation using automated testing tools
• External evaluation by accessibility experts
• User testing with people with disabilities
• Regular accessibility audits by third-party specialists
• Conformance evaluation using WCAG-EM methodology

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions or need assistance regarding accessibility on our website, please contact us at: