Last updated: February 22, 2026
Our Commitment
Local Civic Hub is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people of all abilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards to ensure we provide equal access to all users. As a civic information platform, we believe accessible government information is a fundamental right.
Conformance Status
We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities and more user-friendly for everyone.
Our conformance status is based on ongoing self-assessment. We recognize that accessibility is a continuous effort and are committed to addressing gaps as they are identified.
Navigation & Keyboard Access
- Skip to main content — A hidden link appears on first Tab press, allowing keyboard users to bypass the navigation menu and jump directly to page content. (WCAG 2.4.1)
- Visible focus indicators — All interactive elements display a visible blue outline when focused via keyboard. Mouse users do not see these outlines. (WCAG 2.4.7)
- Keyboard navigation — All buttons, links, form fields, and interactive elements can be reached and operated with keyboard only (Tab, Enter, Escape, Arrow keys).
Visual Accessibility
- Semantic HTML — We use proper heading hierarchy (h1 → h2 → h3), ARIA landmarks (main, nav, footer), and semantic elements throughout the application. (WCAG 1.3.1)
- Alternative text — Images include descriptive alternative text. Decorative images are marked to be skipped by screen readers. (WCAG 1.1.1)
- Color contrast — Text and interactive elements are designed to meet WCAG AA contrast ratio requirements (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text). (WCAG 1.4.3)
- Dark mode — A system-aware dark mode is available to reduce eye strain and improve readability in low-light environments.
- High contrast mode — We support Windows High Contrast Mode and forced-colors media queries to ensure usability with system-level contrast settings. (WCAG 1.4.11)
- Responsive design — The interface adapts to all screen sizes and supports browser zoom up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. (WCAG 1.4.4)
Motion & Animation
- Reduced motion — All animations and transitions are disabled when the user has enabled prefers-reduced-motion in their operating system settings. (WCAG 2.3.3)
- No auto-playing media — We do not auto-play audio or video content.
Language & Readability
- Multilingual support — The interface is available in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic. The lang attribute is set on the HTML element.
- Plain language summaries — AI-generated summaries of government documents and news are written at an 8th-grade reading level, replacing jargon with everyday language. (WCAG 3.1.5)
- ARIA labels — Interactive elements include descriptive aria-label attributes for screen reader users, and dynamic content regions use aria-live where appropriate.
Assistive Technology Compatibility
Local Civic Hub is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:
- Screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack)
- Speech recognition software (Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Windows Voice Access)
- Screen magnification software (ZoomText, built-in browser zoom)
- Keyboard-only navigation
- Switch access and alternative input devices
Known Limitations
While we strive for full accessibility, we are transparent about the following known limitations:
- Embedded maps — The Leaflet-based map on the Service Calls page has limited keyboard navigation and screen reader support. We provide equivalent information in list/table format as an alternative.
- Third-party content — Some external government data sources and embedded content may not fully meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. We link to original sources so users can access them through their own accessible tools.
- AI chat interface — The Ask Penny chat feature is functional with screen readers but real-time message streaming may not announce intermediate content. Full responses are accessible after loading completes.
- Dynamic stock images — Article images sourced from Unsplash are selected automatically by AI and may not have perfectly descriptive alt text for every article topic.
Feedback & Contact
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Local Civic Hub. If you encounter accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:
This statement was prepared based on a self-assessment of the application conducted on February 22, 2026. We review and update this accessibility statement regularly as we continue to improve the accessibility of Local Civic Hub.
