Our Commitment to Web Accessibility
The Children’s Trust is committed to providing a fully accessible website experience for all users of all abilities, including those who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers, screen enlargement software, and alternative keyboard input devices to navigate the web.
Ongoing Efforts to Ensure Accessibility
We follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 as our guiding principle for determining accessibility. These are internationally agreed-upon standards that cover a wide range of recommendations and best practices for making content useable. As we add new pages and functionality to our website, all designs, code, and content entry practices are checked against these standards.
Website accessibility is an ongoing process. We continually test content and features for WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance and remediate any issues to ensure we meet or exceed the standards. Testing of our website is performed by our team members using industry-standard tools such as the Accessibility Checker WordPress Plugin, color contrast analyzers, keyboard-only navigation techniques, and Flesch-Kincaid readability tests.
Accessibility Features On Our Website
The following is a list of items we have included in our website to improve its accessibility:
Keyboard Navigation
- All interactive elements are keyboard accessible
- Proper focus management implemented for filter sidebar
- Focus trapping within modal dialogs
- Clear focus indicators with visible outlines
- Support for Enter and Space keys on checkboxes
Screen Reader Support
- ARIA live regions for dynamic content updates
- Proper ARIA labels and roles for interactive elements
- Screen reader announcements for loading states and errors
- Hidden text for screen readers using .sr-only class
- Semantic HTML structure with proper heading hierarchy
Filter System Accessibility
- ARIA-expanded states for filter accordions
- Proper ARIA controls for filter sidebar
- Clear labeling for filter options
- Keyboard-accessible filter controls
- Mobile-responsive filter interface
Error Handling
- Proper error state management
- Clear error messages with screen reader announcements
- Graceful fallbacks for failed content loading
Where We’re Improving
In our efforts to bring our website up to standard, we are targeting the following areas:
Dynamic Content
- Enhancing live region announcements for filter updates
- Improving the timing of screen reader notifications
- Adding more context to dynamic content changes
Mobile Experience
- Refining touch target sizes for better mobile accessibility
- Improving mobile filter sidebar interaction
- Enhancing mobile keyboard navigation
Color and Contrast
- Reviewing and improving color contrast ratios
- Ensuring all interactive elements have sufficient contrast
- Implementing better focus state visibility
This is part of our broader effort to make everyone’s experience at the Children’s Trust Massachusetts a welcoming and enjoyable one. Please note that while we make every effort to provide information accessible for all users, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of third party websites to which we may link.
Accessibility Support Contact
We welcome comments, questions, and feedback on our website. If you are using assistive technologies and are having difficulty using our website, please email [email protected]. We will do our best to assist you and resolve issues.