Accessibility

Our standard

Every page of this concept conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA standard, the globally recognized baseline for digital accessibility. This standard is both a technical commitment and a design principle.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA

What we test

Accessibility is measurable. Every page in this build is checked against:

• Automated axe-core checks — targeting zero violations on every page. Axe runs during build and at production.
• Keyboard-only operation — every interactive element, form, and navigation is fully usable via keyboard alone.
• Screen reader landmarks and labels — all content regions (header, main, footer) are marked. Form fields have persistent labels, not placeholders.
• Color contrast — text and interactive elements maintain 4.5:1 contrast on light backgrounds, 3:1 on large text. No information is conveyed by color alone.
• Hit area sizing — all interactive elements meet or exceed 44–48px minimum hit areas. Buttons and links are never smaller than a fingertip.
• Respect for reduced motion — animations, parallax, and transitions are disabled for users who request it via prefers-reduced-motion.
• Visible focus styles — keyboard focus is always visible with a 3px gold outline, never hidden or disguised.
• Semantic HTML — proper heading hierarchy, landmarks (<header>, <main>, <footer>, <nav>), and <button> vs <a> semantics.

Built into the system

Because every page in this concept uses a shared component library, accessibility improvements propagate everywhere at once. A fix to the button component reaches all buttons. A heading style update affects every page that uses it. There is no "accessibility page" separate from "the site" — the system is the guardrail.

Open the design system to see how components are built with accessibility baked in. Each component includes an "accessible because" note explaining the structure. See content governance for editorial guardrails that keep consistency across all OU-published pages.

VPAT & compliance

A delivered solution would include a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), a standardized document that certifies conformance to WCAG 2.1 Level AA and other accessibility standards. For websites, a VPAT covers the full delivery and serves as proof of compliance for procurement, audits, and institutional records.

The federal accessibility deadline of January 1, 2027 applies to state and local government websites. This system is built to meet that standard from the ground up.

Report a barrier

If you encounter a feature, form, or page that is difficult to use, not accessible via keyboard, or unclear with a screen reader, please reach out to the Oakland University web team. The real oakland.edu site at oakland.edu has contact information for accessibility support.

This is a concept demonstrating the standard. It is not the official Oakland University website.