Service Coordination helps Marylanders with disabilities obtain the services and supports they need to thrive. Wire Media built the organization’s new website to meet the WCAG 2.2 AAA standard for web accessibility, a level most sites do not attempt because it takes significantly more work than the usual AA target.
The team ran its own automated and manual testing and brought in WEBAIM for an independent accessibility review, with feedback on wireframes and designs from web professionals who regularly use assistive devices. Accessibility shaped the design and the content as well as the code. Service Coordination staff were trained to write good alt text and to make PDFs accessible, and the copy was coached toward plain language and the right reading level.
Meeting AAA changed how parts of the site were built. Buttons are larger than usual, color contrast ratios are higher (7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text), open dropdown menus close automatically so keyboard focus is never obscured, user sessions do not time out without warning, and focus indicators on forms are highly visible. The brand look and feel was refreshed as part of the project, with accessibility kept as the top priority.
