Accessibility at UMBC VITA

Our commitment

UMBC VITA serves people who are often left out of the room. A website that some of them can't use would defeat the point. We treat accessibility as part of building the site, not a step at the end.

Conformance status

We measure this site against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, the standard referenced by Section 508 and by the Department of Justice's rule for state and local government websites.

This site is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. "Partially conformant" means most of the site meets the standard, and we know of specific areas that are still unverified or fall short. We would rather say that plainly than claim more than we have tested.

How we evaluated it

The site was audited on 23 August 2026 using automated scanning with axe-core across every page at desktop and mobile widths, combined with manual testing for keyboard navigation and focus order, colour and non-text contrast against every background in use, reflow at 320 pixels, text-spacing overrides, and behaviour with JavaScript unavailable. Every issue that audit found has been fixed.

Known limitations

We are working on the following:

• Screen reader testing is not yet completeOur testing so far has been automated and manual browser testing. We have not finished verifying the site with NVDA and VoiceOver, so some issues may remain that only assistive technology would reveal.
• Downloadable documentsOur printable flyers have not yet been checked for tagged structure and reading order. If you need any of our printed material in an accessible format, email us and we will send it to you in one.
• Websites we link toBooking an appointment, applying to volunteer, and donating all happen on sites run by other organisations, including the CASH Campaign of Maryland, Google Forms, and GiveCampus. We do not control those sites and cannot guarantee their accessibility. If one of them blocks you, tell us and we will help you complete what you were trying to do another way.

Tell us about a barrier

If any part of this site stops you from getting what you came for, we want to hear about it — and we will help you get it done in the meantime. There is always a person at the other end of our email and phone.

It helps if you can tell us the page you were on, what you were trying to do, and what browser or assistive technology you were using. Say as much or as little as you like; a sentence is enough.

We aim to reply within five business days.

If we don't resolve it

UMBC VITA is a student organisation at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can raise the issue with the university directly through UMBC, which handles accessibility complaints for its programmes.

This statement was prepared on 23 August 2026 and reflects an evaluation carried out on that date. We review it whenever the site changes materially.