Accessibility Statement for Yiddishculture.co

Our commitment

EPYC is committed to making Yiddishculture.co usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Accessibility is an ongoing effort, and we aim to continuously improve the user experience for all visitors.

Standards we follow

We strive to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA guidelines across the site. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with a wide range of abilities.

Current status: Partially conformant. Many areas meet WCAG 2.2 AA, and we are working through remaining issues noted below.

What we’re doing

  • Using semantic HTML, ARIA landmarks, and properly ordered headings
  • Ensuring keyboard access to all interactive elements and visible focus states
  • Providing sufficient color contrast and supporting text resize/zoom
  • Supplying alternative text for meaningful images and decorative marking for non-essential images
  • Captioning/transcripts for video and audio; avoiding auto-play where possible
  • Respecting user preferences (e.g., prefers-reduced-motion)
  • Marking language and direction for content, including Yiddish (lang="yi", dir="rtl") and English (lang="en", dir="ltr")
  • Testing with assistive technologies and modern browsers

Yiddish & right-to-left (RTL) support

  • Pages and components rendered in Yiddish use proper RTL directionality for text, punctuation, and list markers.
  • When transliteration is provided, we identify it programmatically to prevent screen-reader confusion.
  • We avoid mixing RTL and LTR inline where it could disrupt reading order; when needed, we apply directional isolation to preserve clarity.

Known limitations (in progress)

  • Historic images: Some older images still need descriptive alt text.
  • Legacy PDFs: A small number of archival PDFs are not yet fully tagged; accessible HTML or tagged PDF versions are being prepared.
  • Third-party embeds: Some accessibility characteristics of external services (e.g., video players, maps) are outside our control, though we select the most accessible options available.

If you find an issue that’s not listed, please let us know so we can address it quickly.

Browser and assistive technology compatibility

The site is designed to work with current versions of major browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) on desktop and mobile. We test with screen readers (e.g., NVDA, VoiceOver), keyboard-only navigation, and high-zoom settings.

Feedback and support

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Yiddishculture.co. If you encounter barriers, need content in an alternative format, or have questions:

  • Contact form‍

Response time: We aim to acknowledge requests within 2 business days and provide a resolution or timeline within 10 business days.

Formal complaints

If you believe your concern has not been adequately addressed, you may escalate by emailing accessibility@ptg.co with “Accessibility Complaint” in the subject line. We will review and respond with next steps and an expected timeline.

Assessment approach

We evaluate accessibility through a combination of:

  • Internal reviews and manual audits against WCAG 2.2 AA
  • Automated checks (e.g., axe, lighthouse) to supplement manual testing
  • Periodic user testing with assistive technology users

Ongoing improvements (roadmap)

  • Complete alternative text for all historic images with meaningful descriptions
  • Provide accessible HTML or tagged PDF for remaining archival documents
  • Expand captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions across all media
  • Continue RTL refinements and mixed LTR/RTL handling in complex layouts

This statement was last updated: August 14, 2025
Applies to: Yiddishculture.co (EPYC — Educational Program on Yiddish Culture)

Optional: short footer blurb (for your site footer/link)

“EPYC is committed to digital accessibility and continuous improvement. If you experience barriers on Yiddishculture.co, please contact accessibility@ptg.co.”

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