Digital Accessibility at More Canvas Consulting

More Canvas is committed to improving the accessibility of our clients’ websites for the following reasons:

  • Updating a site to meet accessibility guidelines maximizes the site’s potential user base. Impaired and disabled users, users with aging technology and operating systems, users with slow internet speeds, elderly and non-digital native users, and mobile-only users will be able to more smoothly access site features.

  • From a structural and design perspective, a website that meets accessibility standards generally offers a better experience for all site visitors, regardless of ability. Accessible websites ensure that unimpaired users with situational impairments (noisy environment, poor cell service, forgot reading glasses, direct sunlight) can more smoothly access site features.

  • Many features built for accessibility also improve sites’ search engine optimization (SEO). 

Why Accessibility Matters

In addition, individuals and entities that do not make their content accessible may be at risk for legal action. States such as California and New York require websites to offer equal access to individuals, regardless of impairments. The Justice Department interprets Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to apply to the digital space as well. While these Title III cases used to be few and far between, the law firm Seyfarth Shaw reported in 2021 that ADA Title III lawsuits have increased in volume across the nation by 320 percent since 2013.

Demonstrating consideration and care for your customers, community, and employees. According to the CDC, Approximately 12 million people over 40 years old have vision impairment in the US, and that number is only increasing.

black and white line drawing of an old fashioned microphone in a circle with the words The curb Cut effect as a logo for the podcast

As part of our efforts to increase awareness around the importance and utility of accessibility in all kinds of fields, our Accessibility Consultant Calvin Van Zytveld began a podcast titled “The Curb Cut Effect.” Listen in below:

Core Accessibility Services

Website Accessibility Remediation for Businesses

This is our standard remediation package. The range in cost, from $375 - $5,500+, reflects the great variety of websites we encounter, from mostly text-based sites of a dozen or so pages to highly interactive websites with hundreds of pages.

Our process involves a free consultation, thorough manual and automated testing, followed by as many changes to the website as are necessary to earn the Curb Cut Verified badge.

If you or your web developer is confident making the recommended changes, we can simply advise through the remediation. If needed, you may also engage our team of web developers and accessibility experts to directly perform these site revisions.

Curb Cut Audit

If you believe your website already meets accessibility standards, but would like to seek Curb Cut Verification, we can provide a thorough audit. If your website meets all WCAG 2.1 level AA success criteria and presents no remarkable usability issues in our manual testing, you will be able to proudly display that your site is Curb Cut Verified. Regardless of the outcome of the audit, you will receive a detailed summary of our findings along with recommendations for fixing remaining issues.

Increasing Access to Accessibility

Remediation for existing small sites: for artists or nonprofits

To qualify for the Remediation for Existing Small Sites: For Artists and Nonprofits program, your website must be about your artistic output/career or registered 501c3 organization and have fewer than a dozen or so pages. Service package includes:

  • Initial assessment (manual test + automated tests)

  • Consultation on necessary fixes

  • You make the changes

  • Audit, if your website passes, you’ll be able to proudly display the Curb Cut Verified badge on your site, communicating your commitment to accessibility. If issues remain, we will provide detailed instructions on fixing them.

  • Subsequent audits come at a reduced price

  • A successful audit results in your site receiving Curb Cut Verified status.

Virtual Module: Building Beautiful Websites for All Users

Calvin Van Zytveld gives three 60 minute practical interactive lectures on website construction and maintenance for accessibility over Zoom.

Topics include: navigability for keyboard-only users, color contrast, alternative text for images, problematic design elements, heading hierarchy, Web Content Accessibility Guideline 2.1. 

Participants in the module can sign up for office hours with members of our team to ask questions about digital accessibility.

This course is ideal for those who want to improve their website’s accessibility independently. Participants will be able to repair accessibility issues on websites of moderate complexity by the end of the module.