What we commit to, what we measure, and where we know we fall short.

1 · The standard we hold

We target WCAG 2.2 Level AA. That is the working target for this site and for customer sites at every tier — it is not an upgrade you buy.

2 · What we measure

These are checked programmatically against the rendered page, at mobile and desktop widths, before anything ships.

• Contrast: every text element against its computed background. Minimum 4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text. Body copy on our primary surface measures 14.6:1.
• Touch targets: minimum 44 × 44px for every interactive control, including navigation and footer links.
• Horizontal overflow: none at any width. Wide tables scroll inside their own container rather than forcing the page sideways.
• Focus: every focusable element shows a visible indicator. We never set outline: none.
• Non-colour cues: no state, status, or emphasis is signalled by colour alone.

3 · Design decisions made for accessibility

Some of these cost us visual effects we would otherwise have used.

• Body copy is sentence case. The reference design we drew structure from sets body text in uppercase condensed type. We rejected that: uppercase destroys word-shape recognition, and our readers are often reading on a phone in poor conditions.
• Shape carries meaning. A pill is interactive, a rounded rectangle is a content container, a square corner is system output. A reader who cannot resolve our accent colour can still parse what is clickable.
• The accent colour is restricted by measurement. Our brass accent measures 5.37:1 on the primary dark surface but only 2.72:1 on our light surface, so it is barred from light sections entirely and another colour takes the accent role there.
• Required form fields say "Required". Not an asterisk, not a colour.
• Labels sit above fields, never inside them. Placeholder-as-label disappears the moment you start typing.
• Numbers use tabular figures so columns stay aligned under magnification.
• Motion is minimal and respects prefers-reduced-motion. No parallax, no scroll-jacking, no animated counters, no autoplaying video.

4 · Known limitations

Stated because a page claiming full conformance without qualification is usually untested.

• We have not completed a formal third-party audit. Our checks are automated plus manual keyboard testing.
• Automated checks cannot verify whether alternative text is meaningful, only whether it exists. Image descriptions are written by a person and reviewed by a person.
• We have not yet tested with the full range of screen readers and assistive technology in common use. Keyboard and macOS VoiceOver testing was completed on 19 August 2026; NVDA and JAWS testing is not yet done.
• Embedded third-party content, where used, may not meet the same standard. We will name it where it appears.

5 · Sites we build for customers

The same standard applies to every tier. Contrast, touch targets, focus indication, keyboard operability, and non-colour cues are part of the build, not an add-on.

Where a customer supplies brand colours that cannot meet contrast requirements, we will say so and propose a compliant variant rather than ship something unreadable. That conversation happens before the build, not after.

6 · Reporting a barrier

If any part of this site or a site we built stops you doing what you came to do, tell us. A description in your own words is enough — you do not need to identify a success criterion.

Email office@thecitadelmedia.com or call 406-570-0742, Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00 MT. We acknowledge within one business day and will tell you what we can fix, what will take longer, and what we cannot change — with reasons.