Veterinary clinics and animal hospitals

Pet owners use a veterinary clinic's website at important moments. They request an appointment for a limping dog, look up after-hours instructions when a cat has eaten something it should not have, log in to check vaccination records, or reorder a prescription diet. Some of those owners are blind or have low vision, some navigate by keyboard or switch device, and some rely on magnification. Some clients bring in a service animal they depend on every day. When the website does not work for them, they lose time at exactly the moment it matters.

About 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported one or more disabilities in 2022 (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability 2022). 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. Web content that is needed to access an organization's goods or services must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)). For a clinic, that includes appointment requests, emergency information and any online store.

Where websites in this sector usually fail

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

What the regulation requires of a clinic

Beyond web content under s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab), a few other sections of Man. Reg. 47/2022 are relevant to veterinary practices.

Web applications (s. 8(1) (opens in a new tab))

Pet portals and online stores are often web applications. Those published or significantly updated after the applicable date fall under s. 8(1) (opens in a new tab). Where a portal is supplied by a vendor, it helps to ask the vendor about its accessibility before renewing or switching.

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

Clients should be told they can request information, such as estimates, discharge instructions or medication directions, in a format that works for them, for example an accessible electronic file or large print.

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

Clients need an accessible way to report barriers, such as a web form, email address and phone number, clearly listed.

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

Reception staff, whoever maintains the website, and whoever chooses portal or store software fall within the training requirement, which applies as soon as reasonably practicable.

What we test first

1. Finding emergency and after-hours information
2. Requesting, changing or cancelling an appointment
3. Signing in to the pet portal and finding records or reminders
4. Completing new-client and pet history forms, including PDFs
5. Browsing the price list and services
6. Ordering food, medication or supplies through the online store

Each journey is tested with keyboard only, NVDA, VoiceOver, text resized to 200% and content reflowed at 320 CSS px, along with automated scans. See our method.

Fixing without a redesign

Most of these repairs are invisible to sighted mouse users. Adding labels and error text to forms, a pause button to a banner, a clear focus outline, table markup for price lists and status announcements for the cart does not require a new design. We work to the principle of least visible change, so the clinic's site still looks like the clinic's site. Where a portal or store is supplied by a third party, we document what is outside your direct control and help you raise it with the provider. Read more about our services or see a sample report.

To find out where your clinic's website stands, contact us for an audit and a fixed written quote.

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