Accessibility
AGF's reputation is built on over 65 years of providing industry-leading investment management services to our clients and stakeholders. Our mission is to help investors succeed. In fulfilling that mission, AGF strives at all times to provide its services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of all people.
We are also committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our services and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in a similar way as other customers.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it more accessible to users. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by individuals with visual impairments, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
About the Software
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various behavioral changes, to ensure that users visiting with screen-readers can read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters our site, they receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate the site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements:
- Screen-reader optimization: we run a process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others.
Additionally, the background process scans the website’s images. It provides an image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts embedded within the image using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with several popular screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. - Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.
Additionally, keyboard users will find content-skip menus available at any time by clicking Alt+2, or as the first element of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, preventing the focus from drifting outside.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported on our website, include (among others)
- Epilepsy Safe Profile: this profile enables people with epilepsy to safely use the website by eliminating flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations that pose a risk of seizures.
- Vision Impaired Profile: this profile adjusts the website so that it is accessible a wide range of visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
- Cognitive Disability Profile: this profile provides various assistive features to help users with cognitive disabilities such as Autism, Dyslexia, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements more easily.
- ADHD Friendly Profile: this profile significantly reduces distractions and noise to help people with ADHD, and Neurodevelopmental disorders browse, read, and focus on the essential elements more easily.
- Blind Users Profile (Screen-readers): this profile adjusts the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is installed on the user’s computer, and this site is compatible with it.
- Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
- Font adjustments – users can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
- Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds with over seven different coloring options.
- Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
- Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize essential elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
- Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
- Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
- Additional functions – users can change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Assistive technology and browser compatibility
We aim to support a wide range of browsers and assistive technologies, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS, and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and MAC users.
Accessible Customer Service Policy
Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities
Our Accessible Customer Service Policy and Accessible Workplace Policy and Statement of Commitment Policy outlines specifically how we will carry out our functions and responsibilities with respect to providing accessible goods and services to people with disabilities. Accessible refers to the ability for everyone, regardless of disability or special needs, to access, use and benefit from our products and services as much as possible. While we strive to have accessibility "built in" to our customer service procedures, where this is not currently available, we will focus on providing an alternative or adapting to individual needs.
Contact Information and Feedback
Your experience with AGF matters to us. Should you have a concern or feedback about the accessibility of our services, we encourage you to advise us of the situation for appropriate action to be taken. Please submit your feedback to: AGF Investments and AGF subsidiaries: E-mail or call AGF Investment's Client Services at 1-800-268-8583 We are committed to resolving your concern and/or complaint in a fair and timely manner. All feedback will be directed to: AGF Investments and AGF subsidiaries: Senior Complaints Officer and/or Compliance Officer.
Notice of Disruption in Services and Facilities
In the event a service we provide becomes inaccessible affecting clients, investors, employees, visitors, contractors or members of the general public, AGF's service areas (e.g. Facilities, HR, etc.) will take reasonable steps to report the disruption in a timely fashion through appropriate information channels. These channels include AGF's website, physical postings (temporary signage) on or immediately adjacent to the affected area, and/or communication via email to affected individuals, departments or groups.
In accordance with AGF's accessible customer service procedures, notice will be visible and indicate any alternatives that exist to allow access to persons with disabilities during the disruption. The required information necessary for any communication of a temporary disruption will include:
- The time, date and location of the disruption
- Information about the reason for the disruption
- Anticipated duration of the disruption
- Descriptions of alternative facilities or services