Client resources
Accessible websites, fixed at the source.
An accessible website works for people who use a screen reader, a keyboard, zoom, captions or voice control. That is a lot of people: about one in four adults in the U.S. has a disability. Here is how we approach it for the sites we build and look after, where tools like accessiBe fit, and how to read the free checkers without panicking.
What it means
The standard, in plain language.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standard. Level AA of WCAG 2.1 is what most laws and contracts point to; WCAG 2.2 adds a few more checks. For state and local governments, including public schools, a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice rule makes WCAG 2.1 AA the requirement, with deadlines in 2026 and 2027 depending on size. This is a practical guide, not legal advice.
People can see it
Text stands out from its background, images have text descriptions, videos with sound have captions, and nothing depends on color alone.
People can use it
Everything works with a keyboard, focus is always visible, moving things can be paused, and nothing is on a timer.
People can follow it
Headings describe the page in order, form fields have labels, and error messages say what went wrong and how to fix it.
It works with their tools
Screen readers, zoom up to 400%, voice control and browser autofill all work, because the code says what each thing is.
How we help
Five ways we can help.
Most sites need the first two. The rest depend on who your visitors are and what your contracts ask for.
Audit
A whole-site check
Every page, on desktop and on a phone: automated tests, a keyboard-only walk through each page, and color contrast measured against the real pixels behind the text. You get a dated report that separates what matters from what doesn't.
Fix
Fixes in the site itself
Headings, labels, alt text, colors, forms, menus. We fix them in the website, mostly with the page builder's own settings, so the fixes stay put when content changes.
Hosting
Built into our toolkit
BrightFrame, the toolkit on the sites we host, includes accessibility features we switch on site by site: a skip link, pinch-to-zoom, keyboard-friendly menus, still images for people who ask for less motion, and a pause control for animations.
Statement
A statement you can stand behind
An accessibility page like ours: the standard, the test date, what isn't perfect yet, and how to report a problem. Then we re-test on a schedule and keep it current.
accessiBe
accessiBe, when it fits
We are an accessiBe partner. We can set up accessWidget, their on-page accessibility toolbar, and arrange their expert audits, user testing, VPAT documentation and litigation support.
Widgets and fixes
Why we start with the site itself.
An accessibility widget like accessWidget adds a toolbar to your pages: bigger text, stronger contrast, readable fonts, pause animations, and profiles for different needs. Some visitors find that genuinely useful, and accessiBe's services (audits, user testing, legal support) can be valuable on their own.
But a widget runs on top of your pages. It can't change how the site was built. Many people who rely on assistive technology use their own screen reader, zoom and settings, and for them what is broken in the code stays broken. So we fix the website first, and add a widget when a client wants the toolbar or the services that come with it.
The honest part
No tool can promise that a website is legally compliant: not a widget, not a free checker, and not us. What holds up is a site that works for the people using it, tested and documented, with a clear way to report problems.
Free checkers
The ones we trust.
Free checkers are a good first look. They check one page at a time, and they flag things for a person to judge, so a long list is normal on a well-built site.
- WAVE, from WebAIM, a nonprofit at Utah State University. Paste in an address and it marks up your page. The one we point clients to first.
- axe DevTools, a free browser extension from Deque. Its engine is the one most accessibility tools are built on, including ours.
- Lighthouse, built into Chrome. Right-click a page, choose Inspect, then the Lighthouse tab, and run the Accessibility check.
Some free checkers are run by companies that sell a widget, and their reports end with a pitch for it. That doesn't make their findings wrong; just read the score with that in mind.
Reading the results
What's vital, and what isn't.
A rough guide to the three kinds of thing a checker will show you. When in doubt, send us the report and we will tell you which is which.
Fix these
Almost always real
- Images that carry meaning but have no text description.
- Form fields without labels.
- Real text with too little contrast.
- Zoom blocked on phones.
- Anything you can't reach or use with the Tab key.
- Links or buttons with no name ("empty link", "empty button").
- Pages with no title or no language set.
Judgement calls
Worth a human look
- Skipped heading levels and "possible headings": is that big text really a heading?
- "Redundant link": two links in a row to the same page.
- "Nearby image has the same alternative text."
- Very small text, video and audio, and anything in a section called Alerts or Warnings.
Often false alarms
Usually safe to set aside
- Contrast on decorative shapes, ornaments or dots that happen to be made of text.
- Contrast on text that is hidden on purpose, like the labels screen readers use.
- Contrast on text over photos, textures and gradients: most tools can't see the background, so they guess.
- Percentage and "compliance" scores. WCAG has no percentage: each item passes or it doesn't.
What no checker can tell you: whether your alt text actually describes the picture, whether a screen reader reads the page in a sensible order, whether error messages make sense, and whether a keyboard user can get through your checkout or contact form. That takes a person, which is why our audits include a keyboard walk and screen-reader checks.
Want to know where your site stands?
Send us the address. We will run the same checks we run on our own site and tell you, in plain terms, what matters and what doesn't.
