This site should work for everyone.

Last updated: July 18, 2026.

What I aim for

I build this site to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the accessibility standard courts and regulators most often point to, and I keep an eye on WCAG 2.2 as the newer benchmark. Meeting a standard on paper isn’t the goal, though — the goal is that you can actually use the site.

What’s built in

• Every page works with a keyboard alone: real buttons and links, a skip-to-content link, visible focus outlines, and menus that open, close, and return focus predictably.
• Semantic HTML landmarks and headings, so screen readers can navigate by structure.
• Form fields with real labels, and error messages announced to assistive technology.
• Text colors checked against their backgrounds to meet AA contrast ratios.
• All animation is wrapped in a reduced-motion check — if your device asks for less motion, you get less motion, including the video on the restaurant example, which also has a pause button.
• Images carry descriptive alt text, or are marked decorative so screen readers skip them.
• The site works at mobile sizes with no sideways scrolling, and text can be resized.

How I test

I test with automated tools (axe against the WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 AA rulesets across every page, most recently in July 2026) plus manual checks: keyboard-only passes, reduced-motion mode, small screens, and contrast measurements. Automated tools can’t certify accessibility — no tool can — so I treat them as a floor, not a finish line.

Known limits

The example websites under /examples/ are demonstration pieces and get the same treatment as the main site, but they change more often as I build new things. If something there trips you up, I want to know just as much.

Something in your way? Tell me.

If any part of this site is hard to use with your assistive technology, browser, or device, that’s a bug and I’ll fix it. Email hello@southtowns.org or call or text (716) 222-9831, and tell me what you were trying to do and what got in the way. You’ll hear back from a person, not a ticket system.

For my clients

The same standards apply to the websites I build for clients: semantic markup, keyboard access, contrast-checked colors, and reduced-motion support are part of every build, not an upsell.