The Valley Weekly is for everyone who lives in or cares about the Pioneer Valley. That commitment includes readers using screen readers, keyboard navigation, magnification, or other assistive technology. This page describes what we aim for, where we know we fall short, and how to tell us when we get it wrong.

What we aim for

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA across the website and the email newsletter. In practice that means:

• Sufficient color contrast for body text, links, and interactive elements.
• Semantic HTML so screen readers can navigate sections, headings, lists, and forms.
• Keyboard navigation for all interactive elements (links, buttons, the subscribe form, admin controls if you are logged in).
• Descriptive alt text on meaningful images. Decorative imagery is marked as such so screen readers skip it.
• Email content that renders cleanly in dark mode, in plain- text mailers, and at increased system font sizes.
• Form labels and error messages that are explicit and announced to assistive tech.

Where we know we fall short

We are a small publication and our accessibility audit is ongoing rather than complete. Known gaps as of the effective date:

• Some long-form issue pages have not been tested with every major screen reader (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver). Reports of problems are taken seriously and prioritized.
• A handful of partner-supplied images and sponsor placements may not yet have descriptive alt text. We are working with partners to fix this on an ongoing basis.
• The cookie preferences banner is keyboard-accessible but its focus indicator could be clearer; a refresh is in the backlog.

Reporting a problem

If you encounter an accessibility issue anywhere on the site or in the newsletter, email neal@thevalleyweekly.com with as much detail as you can share — what page, what assistive technology you were using, what you expected to happen, and what actually happened. A real person reads every one of these and we will respond.

If something is blocking you from reading the latest issue, say so in the subject line (“Accessibility · issue 005” works) and we will get back to you the same day where we can.

Ongoing commitment

We treat accessibility as a maintenance loop, not a one-time checklist. We audit on a rolling basis, fix what we find, and update this statement when material practices change. Suggestions from readers are the most useful source of improvement we have.

Contact

Accessibility feedback, questions, or specific issue reports: email neal@thevalleyweekly.com.