Accessibility

Our commitment

Column 13 wants this site to work for as many people as possible, including people who use assistive technology. An accessible site is a better site for everyone: clearer navigation, cleaner code, more legible type. We treat accessibility as part of the work, not something added at the end.

The standard we aim for

This site is designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, published by the W3C. Where it’s reasonable, we go further. Where we fall short, we fix it.

What we’ve done

• Structured pages: proper headings, landmarks, and labels, so screen readers can move through each page in order.
• Keyboard access: every link, button, form, the menu, the cookie settings, and the expandable team bios work with a keyboard.
• Visible focus: focused elements are clearly outlined, so keyboard users can see where they are.
• Color contrast: text and controls meet WCAG AA contrast against their backgrounds. Our most recent automated check of the main pages found no contrast failures.
• Reduced motion: if your device asks for reduced motion, rotating text stops and animations stay still.
• Icons with names: icon-only links, like LinkedIn on team bios, are announced by name to screen readers.
• Responsive layout: content reflows down to small phone screens without sideways scrolling.
• Image descriptions: article and case study images have alternative text; purely decorative graphics are hidden from screen readers.
• Skip link: a “Skip to content” link appears when you tab into the page, so you can jump past the navigation.
• Forms: every field has a label, and errors are announced to assistive technology.

Known limitations

No site is ever finished. These are the areas we know about:

• Older articles: some images in older articles may still be missing descriptions. We’re filling them in.
• Third-party tools: embedded services, such as form software, video players, and analytics, can bring their own issues that we can’t fully control. We choose providers that take accessibility seriously.
• Charts: the growth calculator’s chart repeats its key figures as text beside it. If any other visual is hard to use, email us and we’ll send a text version.

Keeping it up

Accessibility is upkeep, not a launch milestone. We check it with every meaningful change to the site, using automated tools (axe and Lighthouse) along with keyboard and screen reader testing.

Tell us when we get it wrong

If something on the site is stopping you from reading, subscribing, or getting in touch, please tell us. We treat accessibility reports as bugs and fix them in order.

Column 13, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

It helps to include the page address, the assistive technology you were using (if any), and a short description of what happened. We’ll reply within five business days and work to fix the issue as quickly as we can.