Accessibility Statement
Our Commitment
New Hope Cancer Support Foundation is committed to ensuring that our website is accessible to all people, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor disabilities. We believe that everyone -- regardless of how they access the internet -- deserves equal access to the information and services we provide.
We recognize that accessibility is not a one-time checkbox. It is an ongoing practice that requires regular attention, honest evaluation, and a willingness to improve. We are a young and growing organization, and we are committed to making accessibility a priority as we build.
Standards We Aim For
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines define how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities across four core principles:
Perceivable -- information and interface components must be presentable in ways all users can perceive, including those using screen readers or who cannot distinguish certain colors
Operable -- interface components and navigation must be operable by keyboard alone, without requiring a mouse or touch screen
Understandable -- content and interface operation must be clear and predictable, using plain language and consistent navigation
Robust -- content must be interpreted reliably by a wide range of assistive technologies, including screen readers and voice input software
Our target standard is WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Where we fall short of this standard today, we have noted it honestly in Section 5 and are actively working to address it.
Measures We Take
To support accessibility across our website, we take the following measures:
Building on Squarespace, a platform that provides baseline accessibility features including semantic HTML structure and keyboard navigation support
Writing content in plain, clear language that is understandable without specialized knowledge
Using sufficient color contrast between text and background throughout the site
Ensuring form fields are labeled clearly so screen readers can identify them
Providing text alternatives for non-decorative images where possible
Structuring pages with logical heading hierarchies to aid navigation
Periodically evaluating our site using free accessibility tools including WebAIM's WAVE evaluator
Welcoming feedback from users who encounter barriers and acting on that feedback
Current Status
We are a new organization and our accessibility work is ongoing. The table below reflects our honest assessment of where we stand today across key areas.
Color contrast - In place
Text and background colors throughout the site meet or exceed WCAG AA contrast ratios.
Keyboard navigation - In place
Core site navigation and form fields are operable via keyboard without requiring a mouse.
Form labels - In place
All form fields on our assistance, volunteer, and contact forms include visible and programmatic labels.
Page structure - In place
Pages use a logical heading structure and semantic HTML to support screen reader navigation.
Image alt text - In progress
We are adding descriptive alt text to all non-decorative images across the site.
PDF accessibility - In progress
Downloadable documents are being reviewed and updated to include proper tags and structure.
Video captions - Planned
We will add closed captions and transcripts to any video content we publish going forward.
Accessible Alternatives
If any part of our website presents a barrier that prevents you from accessing information or services, we want to help you another way. We offer the following alternatives:
Email. Any information available on our website can be provided by email in a plain-text or alternative format upon request.
Phone. You can reach our team by phone to apply for assistance, ask questions, or request information verbally.
Alternative formats. If you need any document, form, or resource in a different format -- larger print, plain text, or another accessible version -- contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
No one should be turned away from our services because of a barrier on our website. If technology is getting in the way, we will find another path forward with you.
Feedback & Contact
We welcome feedback on the accessibility of our website. If you encounter a barrier, find something that does not work as expected with your assistive technology, or simply want to let us know about an accessibility concern, please reach out.
We take all accessibility feedback seriously and will respond within five business days. Where a barrier is reported, we will acknowledge the issue, describe what we plan to do about it, and provide an accessible alternative while we work on a fix.