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Sterling UniversityData & Transparency

Accessibility Center

Built for every reader, from the first line of code

This portal targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508, with WCAG 2.2 patterns wherever they raise the bar. Accessibility here is architecture, not an overlay: the same components that make charts beautiful make them readable by a screen reader.

How this portal is engineered for accessibility

  • Every chart has a table twin

    Each visualization carries a Chart | Table toggle and a hidden mirror table for screen readers. If the chart is filtered, the table is filtered. Always the same numbers.

  • Keyboard first, everywhere

    A skip link opens every page. Arrow keys walk chart data point by point, Enter and Space drive cross-filtering, Escape closes anything. No mouse required, even for the map.

  • Labels, not hovers

    Bars show category and value. Lines label their endpoints. Donuts list every category, value, and percent. Tooltips add context, but they are never the only way to read a number.

  • Color never works alone

    Series pair color with dash patterns and marker shapes. Deltas pair color with arrows and words. Every palette combination meets WCAG contrast at its size.

  • Motion is optional

    Every transition collapses instantly under the OS reduced-motion setting or the in-page toggle. Nothing flashes, loops, or auto-advances.

  • Announced, not silent

    Filter changes, downloads, and view switches are spoken through a polite live region, so screen reader users always know what just happened.

  • Plain language throughout

    Cohort, net price, yield: every term of art gets a “what does this mean?” expander written for families, not analysts.

  • Data leaves with you

    CSV, Excel, and JSON downloads, including “download current filtered data”, are generated in your browser and reflect exactly what you see.

How we test

  • Automated: every page runs axe-core in our test suite with zero serious or critical violations allowed, plus Lighthouse accessibility audits.
  • Keyboard walkthroughs: scripted end-to-end tests tab through navigation, filters, charts, tables, and downloads on every release.
  • Assistive technology: manual passes with VoiceOver and NVDA, browser zoom to 200%, Windows High Contrast, and OS reduced-motion.
  • Honest limits: automation can't judge whether an alt text is meaningful or a reading order sensible. Those remain human reviews, documented in our release checklist.

Reading preferences

The floating tools button (bottom-right of every page) offers larger text, high contrast, reduced motion, and link highlighting. These are conveniences layered on top of an already-accessible site, never a substitute for one. Your choices persist on this device only.

Report an accessibility issue

If any part of this portal doesn't work with your technology, that's our bug, not yours. Tell us and we'll fix it. You can also email access@sterling.edu or call (555) 018-4200.

What were you trying to do, and what got in the way?

Conformance statement

Sterling University Data & Transparency aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. This demonstration build was last evaluated in October 2025 using automated (axe-core, Lighthouse) and manual (keyboard, VoiceOver, zoom, reduced motion, color-vision simulation) methods. Known limitation: the tile-grid map is a simplified geography; the table view is the authoritative, fully accessible representation of the same data.