Tricity Local News aims to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA across the site. Below: what the templates provide, what is still being worked on, and how to report a problem. Reports are welcome.
Target
WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the target. It applies to every page, template and interactive element on the site, including the charts and the comment form. New templates are checked against it before they go live. A reported failure is a defect, handled the way the Corrections Policy handles a factual error: acknowledged, fixed, and noted.
What the templates are built to provide
- Headings follow a logical order so that screen-reader users can move between sections.
- Text can be resized to 200 percent without loss of content or function.
- Body text and interface elements are set to meet the Level AA contrast ratios.
- Every page can be read and operated with a keyboard alone, with a visible focus indicator.
- Links describe their destination in their own text.
- Images that carry information have text alternatives; decorative images are marked so that assistive technology skips them.
- Charts are accompanied by the same figures in a table or in the text of the page.
- Motion is reduced for readers whose system preference asks for it.
Known limits
A full audit of the live site against WCAG 2.2 Level AA is scheduled and has not yet been completed; this statement will be updated with its findings, including any failures found. Content embedded from third parties, such as video players, newsletter sign-up forms and advertising, is served by those parties and may not meet the same standard. Older pages inherited from before the current publication are being reviewed and may contain images without text alternatives or tables without headers until that review reaches them.
How to report a problem
Email media@tricitylocalnews.com with the page URL, the browser and any assistive technology in use, and what failed. Reports are acknowledged within two business days. Blocking problems come first. A failure that blocks access to content is fixed or worked around within ten business days, and the reporter is told what was done. Content that cannot be made accessible on the page is supplied in another format on request.
Review
Templates are re-checked whenever one changes, and at least once a year regardless. The date on this page moves only when its content does.
