Accessibility

Accessibility statement.

This site is built to be usable by everyone. Here is what that means in practice, and how to reach me if something gets in the way.

What's implemented Known limitations Report an issue

Commitment

My commitment

I'm committed to making matthummel.com accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. Accessibility is built into the development process here — not added as an afterthought.

  • Target conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA — the benchmark required by most government accessibility laws worldwide
  • Meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (2017 refresh)
  • Treat every accessibility report as a bug fix, not a feature request
  • Review and update this statement whenever the site changes substantially

Standards

Guidelines followed

Two overlapping standards govern the accessibility of this site.

WCAG 2.1

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The W3C's international standard for web accessibility. This site targets Level AA — the tier required by most national accessibility regulations.

  • Perceivable — content available to all senses
  • Operable — all functions reachable by keyboard
  • Understandable — content is clear and predictable
  • Robust — compatible with assistive technology
§ 508

Section 508 — Rehabilitation Act

The US federal standard for electronic and information technology accessibility. This site follows the 2017 refresh, which aligns §508 with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

  • Functional performance criteria met
  • Software and web-based content covered
  • Applies to federal agencies and their contractors

What's implemented

Accessibility features on this site

Specific implementation choices made to support assistive technology and keyboard navigation.

Skip navigation link

The first focusable element on every page is a "Skip to main content" link. Keyboard users and screen reader users can bypass the navigation and jump straight to the page content.

Semantic HTML landmarks

Every page uses correct landmark elements — <header>, <main>, <nav>, <footer>, <aside>, and <section> — so screen readers can navigate by landmark.

Keyboard navigation

All interactive elements are reachable via keyboard alone. The mobile menu includes a focus trap. The Escape key closes overlays and menus.

Visible focus indicators

Every interactive element shows a 2px accent-coloured focus ring when reached by keyboard. Focus indicators are not suppressed for mouse users via :focus-visible.

Colour contrast

Text and UI components meet WCAG AA — at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text. Colour is never the only means of conveying information.

Image alternative text

Meaningful images carry descriptive alt attributes. Decorative images use alt="" and aria-hidden="true" so screen readers skip them.

Accessible forms

Every field has a visible <label>. Required fields use aria-required. Error messages are linked via aria-describedby and announced through a live region.

Reduced motion support

Animations respect prefers-reduced-motion. Users with that system preference enabled see a static, non-animated experience throughout the site.

Resizable text

All text is set in relative units (rem, fluid clamp()). Pages remain readable and functional at 200% browser zoom.

FAQ structured data

FAQ accordions use native <details> / <summary> elements — accessible without extra ARIA — plus JSON-LD FAQPage schema for search rich results.

Logical heading hierarchy

Each page has a single <h1> followed by a sequential <h2> → <h3> structure. Heading levels are not skipped or used for visual styling alone.

Current page indicator

The active navigation item carries aria-current="page", giving screen reader users a clear signal of their location within the site.

Limitations

Known limitations

No site is perfectly accessible at all times. The following are known and actively monitored:

Third-party embeds

GitHub contribution graphs and some external API content may not fully conform to WCAG AA. These are outside the direct control of this site's code and are flagged for monitoring.

Older blog posts

Posts imported from the previous site may contain images without alt text or code blocks without a language annotation. These are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

PDF documents

Any linked PDF files have not been assessed for accessibility. If you need content in an alternative format, contact me and I'll sort it.

If you hit a barrier not listed here, please report it — every report improves the site for everyone.

How I test

Technical approach

This site runs on WordPress with a custom Sage 11 theme. Accessibility is verified through the following practices on every release:

  • Manual keyboard navigation testing on all page templates before release
  • Automated audits using Lighthouse and axe on key pages
  • Screen reader testing with VoiceOver (macOS / iOS) and NVDA (Windows)
  • Colour contrast verified against WCAG 2.1 AA ratios in browser developer tools
  • HTML validated against the W3C specification
  • Accessibility issues treated as bugs — addressed before new features, not after

Get in touch

Report an issue

If you hit an accessibility barrier — or need content in an alternative format — please reach out. I take every report seriously and aim to respond within two business days.

Send accessibility feedback

Contact options

  • Contact form matthummel.com/contact/
  • Response time Within two business days
  • Alternative formats Available on request

Statement

Statement details

Statement prepared
Last reviewed
Conformance status
Partially conforms to WCAG 2.1 Level AA — some content listed under Known Limitations does not yet fully conform.
Assessment approach
Self-evaluation using Lighthouse, axe, and manual keyboard and screen reader review.

Accessibility

Need help using this site?

If something blocks you, write and tell me what you ran into. I take accessibility reports seriously.

Write a note

Remote · within one business day (ET)