Accessibility

Introduction

At West Virginia Public Theatre, we are committed to ensuring accessibility for all individuals, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. We strive to make our website user-friendly and accessible to as many people as possible. This Accessibility Policy outlines our commitment to accessibility and the steps we take to ensure a positive experience for all users.

If you are experiencing any accessibility issues, please contact our website hosting manager here.

Scope

This policy applies to all web pages and content hosted on wvpublictheate.org, including but not limited to text, images, videos, interactive elements, and downloadable files.

Compliance Standards

Our accessibility efforts are guided by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). We aim to meet Level AA conformance to ensure our website is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users.

Accessibility Features

We have implemented the following accessibility features to enhance the user experience:

• Text Alternatives: Providing alternative text descriptions for images and other non-text elements to ensure screen readers can convey the information to users with visual impairments.
• Keyboard Navigation: Ensuring all interactive elements and content can be accessed and operated using a keyboard to accommodate users who cannot use a mouse.
• Clear and Consistent Layout: Maintaining a consistent layout and organization throughout the website to facilitate ease of navigation.
• High Contrast and Color Choices: Using color combinations and contrast ratios that meet accessibility standards, enabling users with low vision or color blindness to read and understand the content.
• Captions and Transcripts: Providing captions for videos and transcripts for audio content to make multimedia accessible to users with hearing impairments.
• Accessible Forms: Ensuring all forms on the website are accessible and usable with assistive technologies.
• Skip Navigation: Including a “skip navigation” link to allow screen readers and keyboard users to skip repetitive elements and go directly to the main content.

Ongoing Accessibility Efforts

We are committed to continuously improving the accessibility of our website. Our ongoing efforts include:

• Regular Accessibility Audits: Conducting periodic accessibility audits to identify and address any accessibility barriers.
• User Testing and Feedback: Seeking feedback from users, especially those with disabilities, to understand their needs and preferences, and making necessary improvements based on their input.
• Staff Training: Providing training to our staff on accessibility best practices, web accessibility guidelines, and the use of accessible design tools.
• Collaboration with Experts: Collaborating with accessibility experts to enhance the accessibility of our website.

Contact Us

If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions to improve the accessibility of wvpublictheatre.org, please contact our website hosting manager here. We take your feedback seriously and are committed to addressing any issues promptly.

Third-Party Content

While we strive to ensure accessibility for all content on our website, there may be third-party content or links to external websites that are beyond our control. We cannot guarantee the accessibility of such content but will work to provide accessible alternatives whenever possible.

Review and Updates

This Accessibility Policy will be reviewed periodically and updated as needed to ensure ongoing compliance with evolving accessibility standards and best practices.

Conclusion

We firmly believe that digital inclusion is fundamental, and we are dedicated to making our website accessible to everyone. By adhering to this Accessibility Policy and continuously improving our efforts, we aim to create a positive and inclusive online experience for all users.