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The Ledger Signal
Site policy

Accessibility

Journalism that's free to read should be readable by everyone. Here's where we stand, and how to tell us where we fall short.

Our commitment

The Ledger Signal aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. Accessibility is treated as part of the editorial product, not an afterthought: a story that a screen-reader user cannot navigate, or that a keyboard user cannot reach, is a story we have failed to deliver. We review the site against these guidelines as it evolves, and accessibility is a consideration in new features from the design stage onward.

What we’ve implemented

  • Keyboard navigation — interactive elements across the site, including menus, controls, and article actions, are operable without a mouse, with visible focus indicators.
  • A skip-to-content link — the first focusable element on every page lets keyboard and screen-reader users jump straight past the masthead to the main content.
  • ARIA labels on controls — icon-only buttons and interactive widgets carry accessible names so assistive technology can announce what they do.
  • Reduced-motion support — animations respect the prefers-reduced-motion setting for readers who are sensitive to movement.
  • Semantic heading structure — pages use proper landmarks and a logical heading hierarchy so the site can be navigated by structure, not just by sight.
  • Alt text on images — meaningful images carry text alternatives; decorative ones are hidden from assistive technology.

Ongoing work

Accessibility is never finished. The site changes frequently — new article formats, new reading tools — and each change can introduce new barriers. We treat reported accessibility issues the way we treat factual errors in our reporting: as defects to be fixed promptly, not as suggestions to be filed away.

Report an accessibility issue

If you encounter any part of this site that is difficult or impossible to use with assistive technology — a control that cannot be reached by keyboard, an image without a useful description, text with insufficient contrast, or anything else — please tell us through our contact page. It helps to include the page where you hit the problem and the browser or assistive technology you were using. Reports are reviewed by the team and prioritized for fixes.

To learn more about how this newsroom works, see about The Ledger Signal and our editorial standards.