Accessibility Statement for Mercato Italiano

Mercato Italiano is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for everyone. We are continually improving the user experience for all visitors and applying the relevant accessibility standards to ensure we provide equal access to information and services. Our goal is to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA.

Our Commitment to Accessibility

We believe that everyone should have barrier-free access to our website, regardless of their abilities or the technologies they use. To uphold this commitment, we adhere to the following principles:

• Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, offering captions and other alternatives for audio and video content, and ensuring that content is adaptable to different ways it can be presented (e.g., simpler layout) without losing information or structure.
• Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. This involves making all functionality available from a keyboard, providing users enough time to read and use content, and designing content in a way that avoids causing seizures.
• Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. This includes making text readable and understandable, ensuring that content appears and operates in predictable ways, and helping users avoid and correct mistakes.
• Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This involves ensuring that code is clean and follows web standards, maximizing compatibility with current and future user agents.

Measures to Support Accessibility

Mercato Italiano takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of our website:

• Regularly evaluating our website’s accessibility against WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines using automated and manual testing methods.
• Providing alternative text for all images and non-text content. For example, an image of artisanal pasta will have the alt text "Handmade artisanal pasta from Emilia-Romagna, Italy."
• Ensuring all website content is navigable by keyboard.
• Providing clear and consistent navigation throughout the site.
• Using sufficient color contrast between text and background.
• Offering captions and transcripts for video and audio content.
• Making our website responsive to different screen sizes and devices.
• Offering a dark mode option for users who prefer a high-contrast display.
• Using semantic HTML to structure content logically.
• Ensuring that forms are accessible and easy to use, with clear labels and instructions.

Specific Accessibility Features

The following accessibility features have been implemented on the Mercato Italiano website:

• Alternative Text: All images have descriptive alternative text, allowing users with visual impairments to understand the content and purpose of the images. For instance, an image of a bottle of olive oil will have the alt text "Bottle of extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany, Italy."
• Keyboard Navigation: The website is fully navigable using a keyboard, enabling users who cannot use a mouse to access all content and functionality.
• Color Contrast: We have carefully selected color combinations to ensure sufficient contrast between text and background, making the content easier to read for users with low vision.
• Resizable Text: Users can easily adjust the text size using their browser settings to improve readability.
• Clear and Consistent Navigation: The navigation structure is clear and consistent across all pages, helping users easily find what they are looking for.
• Form Accessibility: All forms are designed with clear labels and instructions, making them easy to understand and use, even for users with cognitive disabilities. Error messages are also provided in a clear and helpful manner.
• Skip Navigation Link: A "skip to content" link is provided to allow users to bypass the navigation menu and jump directly to the main content of the page.

Exceptions

While we strive to adhere to the accepted guidelines and standards for accessibility and usability, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website. We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall accessibility. In the meantime should you experience any difficulty in accessing the Mercato Italiano website, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Mercato Italiano. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on our website.

• Email: accessibility@mercatoitaliano.com
• Phone: +1 555-123-4567
• Postal address: Mercato Italiano, Accessibility Department, 123 Via Roma, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

We try to respond to feedback within 5 business days.

Formal Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to your feedback, you may file a formal complaint with our Accessibility Officer, Isabella Rossi. Please send your complaint in writing to the email or postal address provided above. We will investigate all complaints and take appropriate action to address any accessibility issues.

Technical Specifications

Accessibility of Mercato Italiano relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance to the accessibility standards used.

Limitations and Alternatives

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of Mercato Italiano, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known limitations, and potential solutions.

• Third-party content: Some of our content is provided by third-party vendors. While we strive to work with vendors who are committed to accessibility, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of their content. If you encounter an accessibility issue with third-party content, please let us know, and we will contact the vendor to address the issue. For example, embedded videos from Italian cooking channels may lack proper captions. We will endeavor to provide transcripts where possible.
• Older documents: Some older documents may not be fully accessible. We are in the process of reviewing and updating these documents to meet current accessibility standards. If you need access to an older document in an accessible format, please contact us, and we will provide it as soon as possible.

Assessment Approach

Mercato Italiano assessed the accessibility of this website using the following approach:

• Self-evaluation: The website was evaluated internally by our accessibility team using a combination of automated testing tools and manual testing methods. We use tools such as WAVE and Axe to identify potential accessibility issues. Manual testing involves using screen readers and other assistive technologies to navigate the website and ensure that all content and functionality are accessible.

Date of Statement

This statement was created on October 26, 2023, and will be reviewed and updated regularly.