A1A Web Design is committed to making a1awebsitedesign.com usable by everyone. We built this site to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA, we test it with automated tools, a keyboard and a screen reader, and we fix any barrier that someone reports to us.
Our Standard: WCAG 2.2 Level AA
WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab) is the current version of the accessibility guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the organization that maintains the web's core standards. Its success criteria are grouped into three levels, A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the level most organizations aim for, and it is the level we target on this site and on every site we build for clients.
Based on our own testing, we believe this site meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA. It has not been audited by an outside firm. If you find something that falls short, we treat it as a bug and fix it.
What We Did to Make This Site Accessible
- Semantic HTML: real headings in a logical order, landmarks for the header, navigation, main content and footer, and lists and tables marked up as lists and tables. Data tables have header cells and captions.
- Skip link: the first thing you reach with the Tab key is a "Skip to main content" link that jumps past the menu.
- Keyboard navigation: every link, button, menu and form control works with a keyboard alone. Dropdown menus open with buttons that announce whether they are expanded, and the Escape key closes them.
- Visible focus: a clear outline shows which element has keyboard focus.
- Color contrast: text and interface colors were checked against the WCAG contrast requirements.
- Text alternatives: meaningful images have alt text that describes them, while decorative images and icons are hidden from screen readers.
- Reduced motion: if your device is set to reduce motion, the site turns off its animations and transitions.
- Forms: every field has a visible label, and required fields are identified in text, not by an asterisk alone. If something is missing, an error message appears next to the field and keyboard focus moves to the first field that needs attention. There is no CAPTCHA to solve.
- New tabs announced: links that open in a new tab tell screen reader users so before they activate them.
- Language and layout: each page declares its language so screen readers pronounce it correctly, and the layout adapts to small screens and browser zoom.
- No JavaScript required: the content, the navigation and the contact form all work with JavaScript turned off.
How We Test
Automated tools find only part of the problems a real person can run into, so every review combines tools with hands-on checks.
- Automated checks with axe-core (opens in a new tab), the open-source accessibility testing engine, and Google Lighthouse
- Keyboard-only testing of every page layout and interactive component
- Screen reader checks of headings, landmarks, links, forms and menus
- HTML validation with the W3C Nu HTML Checker (opens in a new tab) and CSS validation with the W3C CSS validator, because valid code is easier for assistive technology to interpret
The Accessibility Preferences Toolbar
Every page has a round button with an accessibility icon in the lower left corner. It opens an optional preferences panel. You can also open or close the panel with Alt+U, and close it with the Escape key.
The panel offers one-click profiles (Seizure Safe, Vision Impaired, ADHD Friendly, Cognitive, Keyboard Navigation, Screen-Reader Helper and Dyslexia) and individual tools, including:
- Larger text in steps
- Readable and dyslexia-friendly fonts
- Extra line, letter and word spacing
- Dark, light and high-contrast themes
- Lower, higher or no color saturation
- Custom text, background and link colors
- Pause animations and mute sounds
- Reading guide and reading mask
- Text magnifier and read aloud
- Page structure list and heading jumps
- Dictionary lookup
- On-screen keyboard
The toolbar is a convenience, not a fix. This site is built and tested to be accessible without it, and nothing on the site depends on it. It does not change the underlying code, it does not replace your own screen reader, browser or operating system settings, and we do not rely on it to meet WCAG. Use it if it helps; ignore it if it does not.
Your toolbar settings are saved only in your own browser. The "Reset all settings" button returns everything to normal, and "Hide widget" hides the button for 30 days. The Dictionary tool is the one feature that contacts an outside service: when you turn it on and select a word, that word is sent to a free dictionary service to look up its meaning. Our privacy policy explains this in more detail.
Known Limitations
- Other websites: we link to sites we do not control, including social media profiles, our Google Business Profile, the Wikimedia Commons pages where our photos come from, license pages, government and standards sites, and client sites in our portfolio. Those sites may not meet the same standard.
- Dictionary results: definitions come from a third-party service, so we cannot control their wording or whether the service is available.
- Toolbar color options: some combinations, such as inverted colors or custom colors you choose, can lower contrast. "Reset all settings" restores the design we tested.
- Very old browsers: the site uses current web standards, so very old browsers may display some parts differently.
If any of these gets in your way, tell us and we will get you the information another way.
Feedback and Contact
If you have trouble using any part of this site, or you need information in a different format, please let us know:
- Email: info [at] a1awebsitedesign.com
- Phone: 716-771-2536, every day, 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM Eastern
- Mail: A1A Web Design (AldoMedia, LLC.), 656 N French Rd #2, Buffalo, NY 14228
It helps to include the address of the page, what you were trying to do and, if you are comfortable sharing it, the browser and assistive technology you use. We aim to reply within one business day, and we will help you get what you need while we fix the problem.
Accessibility Is Part of Our Work, Too
The same methods described on this page are how we build websites for our clients. If your own site needs an accessibility review or repairs, read about our ADA website accessibility service.