Accessible by default
Accessibility Commitment
Accessibility is not a finishing step on this hub. It is an acceptance gate. The standard Bay-Arenac ISD holds this project to is explicit: every page, digital resource, template, and graphic must meet ADA and Section 508 standards to be accepted as final. This website is built to that bar from the first line of markup.
The standard we build to
Every page targets WCAG 2.2 Level AA (a superset of the 2.1 AA legal floor) and Section 508, verified with automated testing (axe-core) and manual keyboard and screen-reader passes before anything ships.
- Semantic structure. Each page uses real landmarks: a banner, navigation, a single main region, and a footer, with exactly one h1 and a logical heading order.
- Keyboard first. Every link, button, filter, and the search work with a keyboard alone, with a visible focus indicator on every interactive element.
- Color contrast. Every text and background pair meets or exceeds the AA contrast ratio, including chips, buttons, and the dark spotlight bands.
- Labelled controls. Search fields, checkboxes, and the resource filters carry programmatic labels, not just visual ones.
- Meaningful images. Photographs that carry meaning have descriptive alternative text; purely decorative images are hidden from assistive technology.
- Comfortable targets. Interactive controls are at least 24 by 24 pixels, and most are larger, so they are easy to tap on a phone.
- Reflow without loss. The layout is mobile-first and reflows to a single column with no horizontal scrolling down to 320 pixels wide.
- Respect for motion. Animations and smooth scrolling are reduced automatically for visitors who ask their device for less motion.
How accessibility stays true after launch
A hub is only accessible if it stays that way as staff add resources. The production plan includes:
- An authoring workflow that requires alternative text and a descriptive title before a resource can be published.
- Templates in the communications toolkit that are pre-built to AA contrast and structure, so a flyer or newsletter starts accessible.
- Training and a short admin guide for Bay-Arenac ISD staff on keeping new content compliant.
- Periodic automated scans so regressions are caught early.
PDF documents
Some of the flyers published here are Bay-Arenac ISD’s own documents, posted exactly as the District issued them. Those files do not always carry the internal structure a screen reader needs, so the full text of every flyer also appears on the web page itself, where it is accessible.
Tell us about a barrier
If you run into an accessibility barrier on this hub or need content in an alternate format, contact Bay-Arenac ISD at (989) 686-4410, Educational Service Center, 4228 Two Mile Road, Bay City, MI 48706. We aim to acknowledge accessibility reports within two business days and work with you on a fix or an alternate way to get the content you need.
Open by default
Photography credits
Every photograph on this hub is open-license and treated with a brand-color duotone in CSS. Sources, authors, and licenses:
- STEM students hero, U.S. Space Force (2nd Lt. Scarlett Trujillo), public domain.
- Robotics workshop, Robolab Technologies, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Community STEM event, U.S. Air Force (A1C David S. Calcote), public domain.
- Automotive assembly, General Motors, CC BY 3.0.
- Students coding, Nayakyashraj, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Engineering department, Dow Chemical Company (via DPLA), no known restrictions.
- Laboratory science, Wellcome Collection, CC BY 4.0.
- Saginaw River Rear Range Light, U.S. Government, public domain.
All images sourced from Wikimedia Commons. Photographs are representative open-license stand-ins used for demonstration and do not depict Bay-Arenac ISD facilities, staff, or named partners.