Accessibility Statement

Our Commitment

Accident News is committed to digital accessibility for all readers, including people with disabilities. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, and we work to improve the site as we build it.

Access to public safety information should be available to the widest possible audience, whatever technology or ability a reader brings to the page.

Standards We Follow

Our accessibility work is guided by these standards:

• WCAG 2.1 Level AA: the web accessibility guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: U.S. federal accessibility requirements for electronic and information technology.
• ADA Title III: accessibility requirements for public accommodations, as applied to websites by federal courts.

Accessibility Features

The site is built with these features:

Navigation and structure

• Semantic HTML with a proper heading order on every page.
• Consistent, predictable navigation across the site.
• Descriptive page titles that identify the content and the publication.
• Breadcrumb navigation on article and category pages.
• Skip-to-content links for keyboard users.

Content and readability

• Color contrast that meets WCAG AA levels (at least 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).
• Text that stays readable when scaled up to 200%.
• No information conveyed by color alone.
• Plain language written for a general audience.
• Structured data (JSON-LD) that helps screen readers and search engines read the page.

Images and media

• Descriptive alt text on editorial images and graphics.
• Decorative images marked with empty alt attributes so screen readers skip them.

Interactive elements

• Links, buttons, and forms that work with a keyboard.
• Visible focus indicators on every focusable element.
• Form fields with associated labels and clear error messages.
• No flashing or strobing effects.

Assistive Technology Compatibility

The site is built to work with common assistive technology, including:

• Screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack.
• Screen magnification software.
• Speech recognition software.
• Keyboard-only navigation.
• Browser accessibility extensions.

Known Limitations

Some content may not fully meet our goals:

• Third-party content: attorney advertisements and embedded third-party widgets may not meet the same standards as the rest of the site. We work with partners to improve them.
• Map images: where a report includes a static map for geographic context, the location is also given as text in the report body.

Feedback and Barrier Reporting

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of Accident News. If you hit a barrier or have trouble reaching any content, tell us so we can help and fix it. It helps to include:

• The URL of the page where you had the problem.
• A description of the barrier.
• The assistive technology or browser you were using, if any.
• How you would like us to follow up.

Contact

For accessibility questions, feedback, or to report a barrier: