Accessibility statement: our commitment, and how to flag a barrier

Our target is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium. WCAG organizes accessibility around four principles — that content be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust — and level AA is the conformance level most commonly referenced in law, including under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

We describe AA as a target rather than a certificate. A site of this size changes constantly, and honest accessibility is a process of building to the standard, testing against it, and fixing what falls short — not a badge claimed once and left. Where we fall short, we would rather you know and tell us than find a claim of perfection that your own experience contradicts.

These are built into the templates every page shares, so they apply across the site rather than to a handful of showcase pages:

• Semantic HTML — real headings, landmarks and lists rather than styled div soup
• A skip link that jumps a keyboard user straight to the main content
• Forms, buttons and links reachable and operable by keyboard, with visible focus
• Labeled form fields, including the VIN input, so assistive technology can announce them
• Text alternatives on informative images and diagrams
• Color contrast checked against the AA thresholds, with meaning never carried by color alone
• A responsive layout that reflows and stays usable when text is enlarged or the page is zoomed

Being specific about what is not yet perfect is part of an honest statement. Some wide data diagrams scroll horizontally on small screens rather than reflowing, and any content drawn from third parties may not always meet the same bar as the pages we control directly. We are working through these, and each carries a text alternative in the meantime so the information is never locked behind the format.

Email support@checkervin.comwith the address of the page and a short description of the problem — the browser and any assistive technology you were using, and the point at which you got stuck, help us reproduce it fast. We will acknowledge your message, work to resolve the issue, and provide the information in an alternative format if you need it before the fix ships.

Feedback about accessibility is treated as a priority bug report, not a suggestion box. The people who encounter a barrier describe it more precisely than any automated check can, which is why this route matters.