Accessibility

Our Commitment to Accessibility

The Joint Commission is committed to making its online services as accessible as possible to people with visual, hearing, cognitive or motor impairments.

Web & Mobile Accessibility

We are striving to meet online usability and design requirements recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA. We are using design standards that help customers identify, interpret, understand, and interact with information presented on our websites.

Here are some helpful tips for using our websites:

  • JavaScript is enabled by default in modern web browsers; if you disable it you will not be able to enjoy all of the features of our websites.
  • Although there are many PDF documents on our websites, they are accessible in a text-only format by using Adobe Acrobat Reader®, a free PDF converter tool located at https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/pdf-reader.html. Simply enter the URL address of the PDF you'd like to convert to a text-only format, and the Adobe Converter will do the rest.

Software Recommendations and Settings

We follow the W3C's globally recognized standards to provide content that’s compatible with the most popular assistive technologies and web browsers. We recommend using the most current version (or the version released just prior to) of manufacturer's assistive technology applications, along with a current version of the browsers listed below. Try different types of browsers with assistive technology applications to determine which combination works best for you.

Please visit the individual manufacturer’s site for information about how to obtain them. You may also have access to assistance from local and state agencies or non-profit groups in your area.

Screen Reader Applications

We recommend several screen reader applications for customers with vision disabilities: JAWS, VoiceOver, and NVDA. On mobile devices, we recommend TalkBack for Android and VoiceOver for iPhone and iPad.

If you use Internet Explorer, use JAWS as your screen reader; if you use Firefox, then use NVDA as your screen reader. 

You can improve your online experience by exploring these features and settings available in various assistive technology applications:

  • Special characters: If it’s required by your screen reading application, enable settings to automatically read any of these special characters: @, #, $, &, ', ", /, |, _, { }, [ ] and words with tilde or grave accented characters.
  • Symbols: If it’s required by your screen reading application, enable settings to automatically read these symbols: +, -, =, *, \, %, ^, ( ), < and >.

Browsers

We recommend using the most current version (or the version released just prior to) of Edge, Safari, Firefox or Chrome.

Use the browser controls to adjust the size and colors of content on a web page. We’ve designed our website content to work with these controls.

Despite our efforts to make every webpage and content fully accessible, some content may not be fully adapted to the strictest accessibility standards. This may be a result of not having found or identified the most appropriate technological solution.

Still need help? If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any Joint Commission content, please contact:

E-mail: 
Phone: 630.792.5800
Fax: 630.792.5005
Mail: The Joint Commission
Attn: Accessibility Department
One Renaissance Blvd
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

Last Updated: 10 June 2019