Accessibility Statement

This is an accessibility statement from Sarah Katz.

Measures to support accessibility

Sarah Katz takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of this website:

  • Include people with disabilities in the design and development process.

  • Seek professional guidance to create a more accessible experience.

Conformance status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. This website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.

Feedback

I welcome your feedback on the accessibility of this website. Please let me know if you encounter accessibility barriers:

  • E-mail: sarahbea89@gmail.com

  • Instagram: @sarahbeakatz

  • Twitter: @sarahbea89

  • LinkedIn: sarah-katz-baa386177

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

My website is tested for compatibility with the following assistive technologies:

  • Firefox with NVDA on Windows 11

  • Firefox with Voice Access on Windows 11

  • Safari and Firefox with VoiceOver on macOS Sonoma

  • Safari with VoiceOver on iOS 14

At this time, I am unaware of incompatible assistive tech, but I welcome your feedback.

Technical specifications

Accessibility of my site relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML

  • WAI-ARIA

  • CSS

  • JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Limitations and alternatives

Despite my best efforts to ensure accessibility, there may be some limitations due to the service that Squarespace provides me. Below is a description of known limitations, and potential solutions. Please contact me if you observe an issue not listed below.

Known limitations for this website:

  1. Menu button for small viewports: The menu button doesn't convey the state of the menu (expanded, collapsed) because Squarespace didn't include appropriate ARIA attribute. They also don’t provide me the option to add a visible text label (“Menu”, “Close”), which would beneift visitors who need visible labels for clarity. I am attempting to provide feedback to Squarespace to fix the issue. Please contact me if you are unable to use the menu button.

  2. Search box: Screen reader users aren't alerted that the search results are loading (indicated by the spinner icon in the search box); Screen reader users are not alerted how many results loaded underneath the search box. Squarespace didn't include the appropriate ARIA attributes. I am attempting to provide feedback to Squarespace to fix the issue. Please contact me if you are unable to use the search feature.

  3. Contact form: Results of the accessibility of the subscribe form on the Homepage varies, dependent upon screen reader software and voice control software, I’ve increased color contrast, selected appropriate form types, and offered multiple ways for contact/communication, but I hope to see Squarespace continue to improve the experience of assistive tech users.

  4. Articles & Essays content: Article link accessible names are duplicated between the image and article title, and the clickable article titles are assigned as heading level 1. Squarespace pulls in code directly from individual post pages without consideration of the new context. I don’t consider this disabling, but acknowledge it can be annoying. I am attempting to contact Squarespace about this issue. Please contact me if you are unable to access the list of articles and essays I’ve posted.

  5. Color themes: I have chosen a light color theme that provides enough contrast for visitors, but recognize that giving a visitor a dark theme option makes it more accessible. Squarespace only allows implementation of one color theme for this website. I am attempting to contact Squarespace about this limitation.

Assessment approach

I have assessed the accessibility of this website with the following approach:

  • Hired a web accessibility expert to test for conformance to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Date

This statement was updated on 28 March 2024.