Accessibility Policy

Our Commitment

SeattleArtists.com is dedicated to making https://www.seattleartists.com/ (the "Site") usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. We believe equal access to information and services is a civil right, and that art and the artist community should be open to all. We treat accessibility as an ongoing part of how we design, build, and maintain the Site.

Standards We Follow

We aim to conform to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA. Following these guidelines supports our obligations under:

• Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Washington Law Against Discrimination and related state accessibility laws
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, where applicable

We also follow the W3C ARIA Authoring Practices Guide for interactive components.

Scope

This policy covers:

• All pages, forms, and features of the Site, including the directory, artist profiles and portfolios, art forums, and events calendar
• Member account, sign-in, and membership purchase flows
• Emails and other communications we send to members and subscribers
• Documents and downloadable resources we publish

How We Design and Build for Accessibility

Our standard practices include:

• Semantic structure — meaningful headings, landmarks, lists, and page language so assistive technology users can navigate efficiently.
• Keyboard access — all functionality is operable with a keyboard alone, in a logical order, with no keyboard traps.
• Visible, unobscured focus — clear focus indicators that are not hidden behind sticky headers or banners.
• Color and contrast — a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, icons, and interface components. Color is never the only way information is conveyed.
• Text alternatives — descriptive alt text for meaningful images, including artwork, and decorative images hidden from assistive technology.
• Accessible forms — visible labels, clear instructions, error messages that identify the problem and suggest a fix, and no need to re-enter information you have already provided.
• Accessible authentication — sign-in that does not require memorizing, transcribing, or solving puzzles, with support for password managers and copy-and-paste.
• Target size — clickable and tappable targets of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or with adequate spacing.
• Pointer alternatives — anything that can be done by dragging can also be done with a single click or tap.
• Responsive, resizable layouts — content reflows at 320 CSS pixels wide and remains usable with text enlarged to 200%.
• Motion and media — no content that flashes more than three times per second, controls to pause moving content, respect for reduced-motion settings, and captions or transcripts for audio and video we produce.
• Consistent help and navigation — navigation and contact options appear in the same place and order across the Site.

Testing and Monitoring

We use a combination of methods to check accessibility:

• Automated scanning (such as axe and Lighthouse) during development and before release
• Manual keyboard-only testing of navigation, forms, and interactive components
• Screen reader testing with NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack
• Zoom, reflow, and contrast checks across devices
• Accessibility review of new pages and features before they are published
• A full review of the Site at least once a year

Accessibility Toolbar

The Site offers an EqualWeb accessibility toolbar, available from the button on the left side of every page. It lets you adjust text size, contrast, spacing, animation, and more. The toolbar is a supplement to, not a replacement for, accessible design and code. The Site is built to work with your own assistive technology and browser settings whether or not you use the toolbar.

Member-Contributed Content

Much of the Site's content — artist profiles, portfolio images, forum posts, and event listings — is created by our members. We encourage every member to:

• Add a short, descriptive text alternative to each artwork image
• Use clear, descriptive titles for forum topics and events
• Avoid putting important information only inside images of text
• Provide captions or descriptions for any linked video or audio

While we cannot guarantee that all member-contributed content meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA, we will work with members to address accessibility issues that are reported to us.

Conformance Status

We believe the Site is partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA, meaning some content may not yet fully meet the standard. We are actively working toward full conformance and address reported issues as quickly as we can.

The Site is designed to work with current versions of major browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari) and common assistive technologies, including screen readers, magnifiers, speech recognition software, and keyboard-only navigation. It relies on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WAI-ARIA.

Third-Party Content

Some features of the Site rely on third-party services, such as payment processing, sign-in providers, embedded maps, and social media embeds, that are not fully under our control. We consider accessibility when selecting vendors and tools, and when we learn of a barrier in third-party content we will offer an accessible alternative.

Alternative Formats and Assistance

If you have difficulty accessing any part of the Site, or need information in an alternative format — such as large print, an accessible electronic document, or help completing a form by email instead — please contact us. We will provide the information or service in an accessible way at no extra cost.

Feedback and Reporting a Barrier

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the Site:

• By email: support@seattleartists.com
• By visiting our Contact Us page.

To help us respond, please include the page URL, a description of the problem, and, if you are comfortable sharing, the browser and assistive technology you were using. We aim to acknowledge feedback within two business days and to resolve the issue, or provide a timeline for resolving it, within ten business days. In the meantime, we will help you get the information or complete the task another way.

Responsibility and Training

Accessibility is a shared responsibility at SeattleArtists.com. Everyone who designs, develops, or publishes content for the Site is expected to follow this policy and keep their knowledge of accessibility standards and techniques current.

Changes to This Policy

We review this policy at least once a year and whenever relevant standards or laws change. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.