Accessibility Statement for Thespian Academy
Thespian Academy is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for everyone. We are continually improving the user experience for all visitors and applying the relevant accessibility standards to ensure we provide equal access and opportunity, regardless of technology or ability. We believe that our website should be accessible to individuals with disabilities, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments. We strive to provide a website that is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users.
Commitment to Accessibility
Thespian Academy is dedicated to providing a website that adheres to accessibility best practices. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website and in doing so adhere to many available standards and guidelines. This includes following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, a globally recognized standard for web accessibility. We view accessibility as an ongoing effort and are committed to regularly reviewing and improving our website to ensure it meets the needs of all users. Our commitment includes:
- Ensuring that new and updated website content conforms to WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
- Conducting regular accessibility audits and testing using both automated tools and manual evaluations.
- Providing training to our staff on accessibility best practices.
- Seeking feedback from users with disabilities to inform our accessibility efforts.
- Implementing accessibility considerations throughout our website development and design processes.
Assistive Technologies
The Thespian Academy website is designed to be compatible with a variety of assistive technologies, including screen readers, screen magnifiers, voice recognition software, and keyboard navigation. We have taken steps to ensure that our website content is structured in a way that is easily interpreted by these technologies. This includes providing alternative text for images, using proper heading structures, ensuring sufficient color contrast, and providing keyboard navigation for all interactive elements. We regularly test our website with commonly used assistive technologies to identify and address any accessibility issues.
Specifically, we test our website using the following assistive technologies:
- Screen Readers: NVDA, JAWS
- Screen Magnifiers: ZoomText
- Voice Recognition Software: Dragon NaturallySpeaking
- Keyboard Navigation: Testing all interactive elements using the keyboard alone.
We are committed to resolving any compatibility issues that may arise and providing alternative methods for accessing our website content if needed.
Feedback Mechanisms
We value your feedback on the accessibility of the Thespian Academy website. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us. Your feedback will help us to identify and address any accessibility issues and improve the user experience for all visitors. We are committed to responding to accessibility inquiries in a timely and helpful manner.
You can provide feedback through the following channels:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (312) 555-8765
- Contact Form: Located on our Contact Us page.
When contacting us, please provide as much detail as possible, including the web address (URL) of the specific page where you encountered the issue, the assistive technology you were using, and a description of the problem you experienced. This information will help us to investigate and resolve the issue more effectively.
Conformance Status
The Thespian Academy website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not yet fully conform to the accessibility standard. We are actively working to address these areas and bring our website into full conformance.
Our efforts to improve accessibility include:
- Adding alternative text to all images.
- Ensuring sufficient color contrast throughout the website.
- Providing captions and transcripts for video content.
- Using clear and consistent language.
- Structuring content using semantic HTML.
- Ensuring keyboard navigation for all interactive elements.
- Regularly testing the website with assistive technologies.
We are committed to achieving full conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and will continue to work towards this goal.
Exceptions
While we strive to ensure that all content on the Thespian Academy website is accessible, there may be some exceptions. This may include:
- Third-party content that is beyond our control.
- Archived content that is not regularly updated.
- PDF documents that were created before our current accessibility standards were implemented.
We are committed to providing accessible alternatives for any content that is not fully accessible. If you encounter any inaccessible content, please contact us, and we will do our best to provide you with an alternative format or method of accessing the information.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about the accessibility of the Thespian Academy website, please contact us:
- Accessibility Coordinator: Beatrice Rossi
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (312) 555-8765
- Address: Thespian Academy, 2400 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
We are committed to responding to accessibility inquiries in a timely and helpful manner. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve the accessibility of our website for all users.
WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion | Conformance Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
1.1.1 Non-text Content | Partially Conforms | Working to add alt text to all images. |
1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Conforms | Semantic HTML used throughout the site. |
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | Partially Conforms | Reviewing and adjusting color contrast. |
2.1.1 Keyboard | Conforms | All interactive elements are keyboard accessible. |
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | Conforms | Link text is clear and descriptive. |
3.1.1 Language of Page | Conforms | The language of each page is declared. |
This accessibility statement was last updated on October 26, 2023, by Beatrice Rossi, Accessibility Coordinator for Thespian Academy. We are committed to regularly reviewing and updating this statement to reflect our ongoing efforts to improve accessibility.
Thespian Academy is more than just an acting school; it's a community. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to express themselves creatively, and we are dedicated to making our programs and website accessible to all. Whether you are a seasoned performer or just starting out, we welcome you to join our community and explore the transformative power of acting.
Our facilities in Lincoln Park are also designed with accessibility in mind. We have wheelchair-accessible entrances, elevators, and restrooms. We also offer accommodations for students with disabilities, such as sign language interpreters and assistive listening devices. Please contact us if you have any specific accessibility needs, and we will do our best to accommodate you.