Accessibility

The commitment

A meeting about conditions that are routinely overlooked should not publish a site that overlooks people. This site targets WCAG 2.2 Level AA.

What is measured, not assumed

Accessibility claims are cheap. These are the checks that run against this site and the results they produce.

• Every color pairing in the design system is verified by computed contrast ratio, and the build fails if any pairing drops below the minimum. Body text sits at 15.8:1, secondary text at 6.6:1, and the accent at 7.3:1.
• Text set over photography is checked against the measured brightness of the image beneath it, not against an estimate.
• Every route is tested at six widths for horizontal overflow, console errors and tap targets under 44 pixels.
• An automated Lighthouse accessibility audit runs against the home, program and sponsorship routes and currently scores 100 on each.
• Keyboard operation is tested end to end: the skip link, the mobile menu focus trap, the program filters, the registration flow and the platform gate.
• The site is tested with JavaScript disabled and under a reduced-motion preference.

What that means in practice

• A skip link is the first thing the keyboard reaches on every page.
• Every form field has a visible label. Placeholders are never used as labels. Errors are announced, are tied to their field, and say what to do rather than only what went wrong.
• Every interactive element has a visible focus ring that is never removed.
• Setting a reduced-motion preference in your operating system removes the smooth scrolling, the reveals and the introduction sequence entirely. Nothing on this site loops, flashes or moves while you are reading.
• The site works without JavaScript. The program is fully expanded, the content is all present, and the forms tell you what to do instead.
• Session times, credit figures and prices are set in a face with tabular figures so columns align for anyone scanning them.

Known limitations

Stating these is more useful than claiming there are none.

• The sponsorship tier comparison is a data table on wide screens and a set of scrolling cards on narrow ones. Both carry the same information, but a screen reader user on a narrow screen hears it as a list rather than as a table.
• The program is long. On a phone, sessions are collapsed by default so the day can be scanned; on a screen reader this means session detail is behind a disclosure rather than read continuously.
• Faculty are currently presented with typographic monograms rather than photographs. When photographs are added they will carry descriptive alternative text.
• This site has been tested with automated tools and by keyboard. It has not yet been tested by users of screen readers, screen magnification or voice control. That testing is planned before the meeting.

At the meeting itself

Session rooms, the exhibit hall and the dining spaces are step-free. Accessibility requirements entered during registration are passed to the venue before you arrive.

Requests made after you have registered are still welcome at any point. Assistive listening, reserved front seating, large-print materials and step-free seating can all be arranged.

If something does not work

Tell us and it gets fixed. Write to Nourin Abu at nourin@nirds.org or call +1 (201) 238-5181, describing the page and what happened. NIRDs aims to respond within five working days.

If you need information from this site in another format, ask and it will be provided.