Accessibility Statement

Accessibility isn't a checkbox for us. We're a web development agency, and we think every website we build (including our own) should be usable by as many people as possible. That includes people who use screen readers, navigate by keyboard, have low vision, or experience other disabilities.

We built this site from scratch with accessibility in mind from day one. It's not a retrofitted WordPress template. Every line of code was written intentionally, and we made accessibility part of the development process, not an afterthought.

We target conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level. These guidelines, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility.

WCAG 2.1 AA covers four principles. Content should be:

• Perceivable: Information and interface components must be presentable in ways users can perceive (text alternatives for images, captions for media, sufficient color contrast)
• Operable: Interface components and navigation must be operable (keyboard accessible, no time limits, no content that causes seizures)
• Understandable: Information and interface operation must be understandable (readable text, predictable behavior, input assistance)
• Robust: Content must be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies

While we strive for full AA compliance, accessibility is an ongoing process and we're always working to improve.

Here are the specific things we do to make this site accessible:

Semantic HTML

We use proper HTML5 elements throughout the site: <header>, <nav>, <main>, <section>, <article>, <aside>, and <footer>. This gives screen readers and assistive technologies a clear understanding of the page structure without relying on visual cues.

Heading hierarchy

Every page has exactly one <h1> tag and follows a logical heading order (h1 through h6) without skipping levels. This allows screen reader users to navigate the page by heading structure.

Image alternatives

All meaningful images include descriptive alt text that conveys their purpose. Decorative images are marked with empty alt attributes so screen readers skip them.

Keyboard navigation

Every interactive element on this site (links, buttons, form fields, menus, accordions) is fully operable with a keyboard. You can navigate using Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, and Escape. Focus indicators are visible on all interactive elements.

Color contrast

Text and interactive elements meet WCAG 2.1 AA minimum contrast ratios: 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. We don't rely on color alone to convey information.

Focus management

Visible focus indicators appear on all interactive elements. When modals or menus open, focus is moved appropriately. When they close, focus returns to the element that triggered them.

Reduced motion

All animations on this site respect the prefers-reduced-motion media query. If you've enabled reduced motion in your operating system settings, animations and transitions will be minimized or removed entirely.

Form accessibility

All form fields have associated labels (visible or via aria-label). Error messages are announced to screen readers. Required fields are clearly indicated. Validation feedback is provided inline and in real time.

Responsive design

The site works across all screen sizes and zoom levels up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. Text can be resized without breaking the layout.

Skip navigation

A "Skip to content" link is available for keyboard users to bypass the navigation and jump directly to the main content area.

We're transparent about areas where we know there's room for improvement:

• Interactive maps: The Mapbox maps on our contact and about pages have limited accessibility for screen reader users. We provide the full address as text alongside the map so the information is still accessible.
• Older blog content: Some blog posts may contain images or formatting that doesn't fully meet our current accessibility standards. We're working through these as we update content.
• Third-party embeds: Embedded content from third-party services (such as maps or analytics tools) may not meet the same accessibility standards as the rest of the site.

If you encounter any accessibility barrier not listed here, please let us know.

If you find something on this site that doesn't work for you, we want to hear about it. Accessibility issues are real bugs to us, and we treat them with the same urgency.

When reporting an issue, it's helpful (but not required) to include:

• The page URL where you experienced the problem
• A description of what happened and what you expected to happen
• The assistive technology you were using (screen reader, magnifier, switch device, etc.)
• Your browser and operating system

You can reach us by email at [email protected] or by phone at (412) 579-3580. We aim to acknowledge all accessibility reports within 2 business days and resolve issues as quickly as possible.

Our website uses a small number of third-party services:

• Google Analytics: For website usage analytics. Does not affect the user-facing accessibility of the site.
• Mapbox: For interactive maps. We provide text-based address information as a fallback.
• Google Fonts: For typography. Loaded with font-display: swap to prevent invisible text during loading.

We cannot guarantee that third-party content meets the same accessibility standards as the rest of our site, but we choose vendors with accessibility in mind and provide alternatives where possible.

Accessibility is not a one-time project. We continuously work to maintain and improve the accessibility of this site through:

• Including accessibility checks in our development process for all new pages and features
• Testing with keyboard-only navigation during development
• Using automated accessibility testing tools to catch common issues
• Manual testing with screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA)
• Reviewing and updating this statement as we make improvements

We also apply these same principles when building websites for our clients. Accessibility is part of how we do web development, not an add-on service.

Questions, feedback, or accessibility issues? Get in touch: