Master Accessibility Statement & Standards

TownSphere™ strives to satisfy the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA and is actively incorporating Level AAA criteria where technically practicable. Our digital infrastructure is designed to align with:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III: Ensuring public digital spaces provide equal access and effective communication.
• Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act: Ensuring electronic information technology is accessible to persons with disabilities.
• European Standard EN 301 549: Accessibility requirements for ICT products and digital public services in the European Union.

Our user interface uses a stark, high-contrast monotone aesthetic (deep blacks, crisp whites, and distinct borders) paired with carefully audited semantic accents:

• Contrast Ratio Exceedance: Primary editorial typography, headlines, and interactive action buttons feature contrast ratios ranging from 7:1 up to 16.1:1 against background cards, surpassing the WCAG AAA threshold of 7:1.
• Dynamic Zoom & Reflow: All page layouts support browser zoom up to 200% without loss of content, functionality, or horizontal scrolling clipping.
• Multi-Channel Visuals: Donut charts, sentiment breakdown bars, and opinion cards present data through both color coding and bold numeric text percentages (e.g., “64% Agree”) so that colorblind or visually impaired users are never reliant on color alone to comprehend poll outcomes.

Every interactive element on TownSphere™ can be operated using assistive hardware or keyboard-only controls:

• Unambiguous Focus Indicators: Interactive buttons, feed tabs, form inputs, and poll option cards display high-contrast, visible focus rings when navigated via the Tab key.
• Logical Tab Order: Navigation follows a predictable DOM hierarchy from header branding down to placard choices and footer references.
• Keyboard Modal Dismissal: Overlays, feedback dialogs, and deep-dive news drawers can be closed instantly by pressing Esc.
• WAI-ARIA Landmark Structure: Pages are authored with semantic HTML5 elements (<main>, <header>, <article>, <section>) and explicit aria-label and role attributes to ensure screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack) announce context clearly.

TownSphere™ is actively tested across modern web browsers and assistive screen readers:

• Desktop Screen Readers: NVDA and JAWS on Windows (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge); VoiceOver on macOS (Apple Safari, Chrome).
• Mobile Screen Readers: Apple VoiceOver on iOS; Google TalkBack on Android.
• Magnifiers & High-Contrast Modes: Native OS High-Contrast modes on Windows 10/11 and inverted color profiles on mobile.

We continually audit our codebase using automated accessibility scanners and manual keyboard-only test passes. If you encounter any barrier, unreadable element, focus trap, or screen reader ambiguity while using TownSphere™, please notify our Accessibility Coordinator immediately: