Accessibility

1. The commitment

We aim to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. We are not claiming full conformance, because a claim like that on a 15,000-page site would be difficult to substantiate honestly. What we can say is what has actually been done and what has not, which is section 4.

2. What is built in

• Semantic structure. Real headings in order, real tables with header cells and scopes, real lists. Screen reader users can navigate by heading and read tables by column rather than as a wall of numbers.
• Keyboard operable throughout. Every control is reachable by keyboard, a visible focus ring is always present, and a skip link at the top of every page jumps straight to the content.
• Contrast. Body text and interface text meet or exceed the AA contrast ratio against the page background. The signal, amber and oxide colours used for status are checked against the dark ground.
• Colour is never the only signal. A result above a limit is marked with a word ("above final limit"), not only a colour. Maps carry a legend with labelled buckets and every shape has a text title.
• Reduced motion respected. The one animation on the site, the hero fading in, is disabled entirely when the operating system requests reduced motion.
• Zoom and reflow. Text scales to 200% without loss of content. Wide tables scroll inside their own container so the page never scrolls sideways.
• Plain language. Technical vocabulary is explained the first time it appears, and the guides exist precisely to translate agency terminology.

3. Without JavaScript

Nearly the whole site is static HTML rendered on the server. With JavaScript disabled you can still read every county, state, water system, Superfund and guide page in full, follow every link, submit the provider introduction form, and download every CSV. The maps are inline SVG and render fine.

Three things need JavaScript: the free address check on the home page, the county quick finder, and the "Save as PDF" button on a purchased report. Each has a non-scripted route to the same outcome, which is to browse to the county page directly from the states index or to use the browser's own print command.

4. Known problems

Named rather than quietly left:

• Large data tables are hard work on a screen reader. A county page can carry dozens of rows across several tables. They are correctly marked up, but "correctly marked up" and "pleasant to listen to" are different things. The CSV downloads are often a better route for a non-visual reader who wants the whole dataset.
• The hero graphic is decorative to assistive technology. It plots 1,807 real Superfund sites, but exposing 1,807 individual points to a screen reader would be hostile, so it is hidden and the same information is available as text and tables throughout the site.
• Maps convey position, which text cannot fully replace. Every map is backed by a table containing the same figures, but a reader who cannot see the map loses the spatial pattern.
• We have not completed an independent audit. Testing so far is our own, using keyboard navigation, a screen reader and automated checks. An external audit is planned and this page will be updated with the result, including the parts that fail.

5. Telling us about a barrier

If something here stopped you getting an answer, please write to hello@umwelt.com and say what you were trying to do and what got in the way. We treat an accessibility barrier the same way we treat a wrong figure: as a defect with a fix, logged and corrected.

If you need information from this site in a different format, ask and we will send it. There is no process to go through.