Accessibility Statement

Neighborhood Harvest is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We continually improve the user experience for everyone and apply relevant accessibility standards throughout the design and development of this website.

Our Commitment

We strive to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards, as published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, including those who use assistive technologies such as screen readers, keyboard navigation, and alternative input devices.

We believe that all community members, regardless of ability, deserve equal access to information about our produce-sharing programs, volunteer opportunities, and community events.

Measures We Have Taken

We have implemented the following measures to support accessibility on this site:

• Semantic HTML structure: We use proper HTML elements (<main>, <nav>, <header>, <footer>, <section>) to convey the structure of page content to assistive technologies.
• Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements (links, buttons, form inputs) are accessible via keyboard. A "Skip to main content" link is provided as the first focusable element on each page.
• Text alternatives: Images include descriptive alt text. Decorative images use aria-hidden="true" to avoid redundant announcements by screen readers.
• Color contrast: Text and interactive elements are designed to meet the WCAG 2.1 Level AA minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
• Dark mode support: The site respects the user's operating system color-scheme preference, providing both light and dark modes while maintaining accessibility contrast in both.
• Responsive design: Content is readable and usable at 200% zoom and across a wide range of screen sizes and devices.
• Form labels: All form inputs include associated <label> elements so that screen readers can identify each field's purpose.
• ARIA attributes: Where native HTML semantics are insufficient, ARIA roles and attributes are used to improve the experience for screen reader users.
• Language declaration: The primary language of the page is declared in the lang attribute of the <html> element (lang="en").
• Focus indicators: Visible focus indicators are present on all interactive elements to assist keyboard and switch-device users.
• Reduced motion: If your device is set to reduce motion, the site turns off its animations, hover movement, and smooth scrolling.
• Moving content: Event countdown timers have a button to pause them.
• Touch targets: Main buttons and the top menu links are at least 44 pixels tall so they are easy to tap.

Known Limitations

While we strive for full WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance, some areas of the site may not yet fully meet these standards. Known limitations include:

• Third-party content: Some embedded content (such as the Stripe donation button) is provided by third parties and may not fully meet our accessibility standards. We encourage these vendors to prioritize accessibility.
• Interactive map: Our free produce stands map uses a third-party mapping library (Leaflet). While we provide text-based address information for all locations, the interactive map may have limited keyboard and screen reader support.
• Photo gallery: Photos in our gallery are provided with descriptive captions where available. We are working to ensure all photos include meaningful alternative text.

We are actively working to address these limitations as part of our ongoing accessibility improvement efforts.

Standards and Legal Framework

This site aims to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. We are also committed to compliance with:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III: Nonprofits are considered places of public accommodation, and courts increasingly require accessible websites.
• California Unruh Civil Rights Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 51): Provides broad civil rights protections including accessibility for Californians.

Feedback and Contact

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of this site. If you experience any barriers to access, or if you would like to request information in an alternative format, please contact us:

We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 business days. We take all reports seriously and will make every reasonable effort to address identified barriers promptly.

Ongoing Improvement

Accessibility is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time task. We conduct periodic accessibility reviews using automated tools (such as Lighthouse and axe DevTools) and manual testing. We update this statement whenever significant changes are made to the site.

If you find an accessibility issue not addressed here, please let us know, your feedback helps us improve the experience for all community members.