Last reviewed: May 26, 2026
Our commitment
Column 13 is committed to making column13.com accessible to as wide an audience as possible, including people who use assistive technologies. We believe an accessible site is a better site for everyone — clearer navigation, cleaner code, more legible typography — and we treat accessibility as part of the work, not as an afterthought.
The standard we target
This site is designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standard published by the W3C. Where reasonable, we exceed AA. Where we fall short, we’re working on it.
What we’ve done
- Semantic HTML — pages are built with proper headings, landmarks, and ARIA labels so screen readers can navigate them in order.
- Keyboard navigation — all interactive elements (links, buttons, forms, the mobile menu, the contact modal) are reachable and operable via keyboard.
- Focus indicators — focused elements display a visible outline so keyboard users can see where they are.
- Color contrast — body text and key interactive elements meet WCAG AA contrast ratios against their backgrounds.
- Responsive design — content reflows down to small mobile screens without horizontal scrolling.
- Alt text — we write alternative text for editorial images. Decorative graphics use empty alt attributes so screen readers skip them.
- Skip-to-content link — a hidden link appears on keyboard focus, letting users skip past navigation to the main content.
- Forms — input fields have associated labels; error messages are announced to assistive technologies.
Known limitations
No site is ever fully done. We’re aware of these areas and working on them:
- Some older articles may have images missing alt text — we’re backfilling.
- Third-party embeds (form software, video players, ad pixels) sometimes introduce accessibility issues outside our control. We pick providers that take accessibility seriously, but we can’t fully audit their internals.
- Complex visual content (charts, diagrams, the upstream/downstream diagram on the Services page) may not have a text equivalent yet. If you need one, email us and we’ll send it.
Ongoing improvement
Accessibility isn’t a launch milestone — it’s a maintenance discipline. We review accessibility as part of every meaningful site change and run periodic full audits using automated tools (axe, Lighthouse) and manual keyboard + screen reader testing.
Tell us when we get it wrong
If you encounter an accessibility issue on column13.com — something that’s blocking you from reading an article, subscribing, or contacting us — please tell us. We treat accessibility reports as bugs and fix them in order.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (904) 859-9616
Please include the URL of the page where you found the issue, what assistive technology (if any) you were using, and a brief description of what happened. We’ll respond within five business days and work to resolve the issue as quickly as we can.