Prototype. A redesign concept for the Roanoke Higher Education Center, prepared by Stoa for RFP #121251. This is a demonstration, not the Center's live website.
108 North Jefferson St., Roanoke, VA 24016 · Mon–Fri, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Roanoke Higher Education Center Training, certifications, and degrees for the Roanoke region

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Accessibility statement

The Center is committed to a website everyone can use. This prototype is built to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Our commitment

Built for everyone, by design

As a public education institution, the Center has an obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508 to make its website usable by people with disabilities. The redesigned site treats accessibility as a baseline requirement, not an afterthought. RFP #121251 names WCAG 2.1 AA compliance as a core objective, and this prototype demonstrates that standard in practice.

What we did in this prototype

  • Semantic structure. Every page uses real landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) and a logical heading order, so screen readers can navigate by region and heading.
  • A single, clear navigation. One primary navigation per page, with the current page marked using aria-current. No duplicated menu markup.
  • Skip link. A visible "Skip to main content" link appears on keyboard focus at the top of every page.
  • Keyboard support. All interactive elements are reachable and operable by keyboard, with a clearly visible focus outline.
  • Labelled controls. Search, filters, and form fields have associated label elements and descriptive hints.
  • Color contrast. Body text, links, buttons, and badges meet or exceed the WCAG AA contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text.
  • Meaningful images. Informative graphics carry descriptive alternative text; decorative graphics are hidden from assistive technology.
  • Responsive & zoom-friendly. Layouts reflow cleanly on small screens and at 200% zoom without loss of content.
  • Live status updates. Dynamic results, such as the program finder count, announce changes through ARIA live regions.
  • Reduced motion. Smooth scrolling is disabled for visitors who prefer reduced motion.

What we would fix on the current site

An accessibility review of the Center's current website surfaced opportunities we would address in the first phase of work. These are framed as a starting punch list and would be confirmed with automated and manual testing.

Illustrative findings to confirm and remediate
FindingWhy it mattersGuideline
Duplicated primary navigation in the page markupScreen-reader users hear the full menu twice and landmark navigation is ambiguous1.3.1, 2.4.1, 4.1.2
Generic or missing image alternative textUsers who cannot see images miss the meaning they carry1.1.1
Unclear heading hierarchyMakes it hard to scan and navigate pages by structure1.3.1, 2.4.6
No visible skip-to-content linkKeyboard users must tab through the whole header on every page2.4.1
Color-contrast pairs to verify on the rendered siteLow-contrast text is hard to read for low-vision users1.4.3

Ongoing compliance

Accessibility is a continuing practice, not a one-time launch task. A production engagement would include automated testing in the build pipeline, periodic manual audits, and staff training so that content authors keep new pages accessible over time.

Tell us about a barrier

If you encounter a page or feature that is hard to use, we want to hear about it. Reach the Center at (540) 767-6000 or through our contact form, and we will work to provide the information you need in an accessible format.

This statement describes a Stoa prototype prepared for RFP #121251 and does not represent a formal compliance certification of the Center's live website.