Web Accessibility Statement for Town of Wallace

At Town of Wallace (https://www.wallacenc.gov), we are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.

Conformance Status

Our ongoing accessibility efforts are dedicated to conforming with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, level AA criteria. These guidelines are designed to make web content more accessible, not only for users with sensory, cognitive, and mobility disabilities but for all users, regardless of ability. In alignment with this commitment, we also strive to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, ensuring that https://www.wallacenc.gov is accessible to all.

Accessibility Features

Semantic HTML enhanced by ARIA: We use semantic HTML to provide meaning to the structure of our web content. This helps screen readers and other assistive technologies understand our content. Where necessary, we enhance this with ARIA attributes.
Responsive Design: Our website employs responsive design to ensure usability and accessibility across a wide range of devices. This design approach provides a seamless experience whether the site is accessed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. For users with low visibility, responsive design maintains functionality and readability as the site is zoomed in, ensuring access to information and site navigation.
Images: Images that contribute to the content or function have meaningful alternative text descriptions (alt attributes) or captions applied. Non-essential images are marked to be skipped by screen readers.
Controls: All controls have proper labels and roles to indicate their purpose and have visible states.
Attention to Color Contrast: We intend to choose foreground and background color combinations that provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits, when viewed in light or dark mode, when viewed on a monochrome screen, or when images have been disabled by the user.
Page Descriptions: Each page has a description that outlines the main content and purpose of the page.
Keyboard Navigation: Our site supports skip-to-main functionality, meaningful tab order, and focusable controls. Standard operation of Tab, Shift+Tab, Spacebar, Enter, Esc, and arrow keys is supported.
PDF Content: We strive to make PDF documents accessible by tagging them for screen reader compatibility. These document structure tags identify headings, paragraphs, sections, tables, and other page elements and define the reading order, enhancing the accessibility of our PDF content.

Technical Specifications

Accessibility of our website relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser, operating system, and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computing device:

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications)
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
JavaScript

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

Testing and Validation

We conduct periodic automated testing using tools from WAVE and Lighthouse, or similar. In addition, we perform manual testing, including the use of the VoiceOver and TalkBack screen readers, to ensure website accessibility.

Continuous Improvement

We are not only committed to current standards but also to adopting technological advancements that enhance accessibility. As new solutions emerge, we aim to incorporate these innovations to improve the user experience on our website. We regularly review our site and make improvements when necessary to ensure we provide equal access to all of our users.

Limitations and Alternatives
While we strive to ensure that our website is accessible to all, there may be limitations that could affect the user experience:

PDF Documents: Some PDF documents on our site may not yet have been updated to an accessible format. We are working to convert all documents to be fully accessible.
Image Descriptions: The alternate descriptions or captions for images may contain errors or require improvement. We are actively reviewing and updating these to meet accessibility standards.
Audio and Video Content: Not all audio or video content may be closed captioned or have a transcript available at this time.

If you encounter any of these issues or require an accommodation, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Feedback and Reporting Accessibility Issues

We welcome your comments on how to enhance the site’s accessibility for users with disabilities. Please let us know if you encounter any accessibility barriers.

Browser Accessibility

Our website is designed to be accessible and user-friendly across popular devices and platforms. The browsers we support benefit significantly from the accessibility options provided by the operating systems they run on. These operating systems offer extensive settings and features designed to assist users with a wide variety of disabilities.

The principal browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox, offer additional accessibility options within their settings menus. These features complement the accessibility tools available in the operating systems and provide users with a more tailored browsing experience.

We highly recommend staying current with the latest operating system updates for your computing device and the latest version of your selected browser to have the most complete set of features available. Regular updates often include enhancements to accessibility features, ensuring that you have the best tools at your disposal.

For more information on available accessibility features, please refer to the following overviews provided for each operating system:

For Windows users, visit the Microsoft accessibility page.
For MacOS and iOS users, visit the Apple accessibility page.
For Android users, visit the Android accessibility page.

Staying informed about these resources can greatly enhance your ability to navigate and use our website to its fullest potential.

Last revised: 5/30/2024

Web Accessibility Statement for Town of Wallace

Section Tools

Hello