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State of MontanaMontana PM AcademyState of Montana · SITSD
State of Montana · SITSD

Accessibility

Target: WCAG 2.2 Level AA. This page records how the site addresses each relevant criterion, how that has been verified, and what remains open. It is written to be handed to a State of Montana accessibility reviewer as a starting map, not as a certification.

Last updated: June 12, 2026.

How the site is built

The site is a server-rendered application. Almost all interaction uses native HTML elements (links, buttons, forms, tables), which carry their keyboard behavior and assistive-technology semantics for free. The few custom widgets (writeup tabs, the trail map) add explicit ARIA roles and keyboard handling, noted in the conformance map below.

All colors are driven by a CSS variable skin system. The default skin was designed against AA contrast; the dark skin had its soft-text color lifted specifically to pass contrast minimums.

Conformance map

Perceivable

  • 1.1.1 Non-text content
    Implemented

    The State Seal and Modus mark carry alt text; decorative SVGs (terrain, flags, contour lines) are aria-hidden. Trail-map waypoints carry full aria-labels (“Unit 4: Outputs, Outcomes, Impact (complete)”).

  • 1.2.2 Captions (prerecorded)
    Partial

    Unit videos play through Mux with auto-generated English caption tracks (CC button in the player). Open: auto-captions need a human correction pass before the cohort relies on them.

  • 1.3.1 Info and relationships
    Implemented

    Semantic landmarks throughout (aside sidebar, nav, main, figure, real tables in admin). Form inputs are labeled (see 3.3.2).

  • 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum)
    Implemented

    Skin palettes designed against AA. Ming’s soft-ink color lightened for body text on the dark surface. Hero bands use ivory text on deep zone colors (navy/burgundy/forest), all well past 4.5:1.

  • 1.4.4 Resize text
    Implemented

    Type in rem/em; layouts reflow. No fixed-height text containers.

  • 1.4.10 Reflow
    Implemented

    All pages reflow to narrow viewports (the app sidebar becomes a top bar below 1024px). The trail map scrolls horizontally rather than shrinking below legibility; that is the two-dimensional-content exception the criterion allows for maps.

  • 1.4.11 Non-text contrast
    Implemented

    Focus rings (2px, accent on surface), waypoint badges (2px deep-color ring), and form field borders all exceed 3:1 against adjacent colors.

Operable

  • 2.1.1 Keyboard
    Implemented

    Native elements throughout. The writeup tabs implement a tablist with Left/Right arrow-key navigation. Trail-map waypoints are real anchors, tabbable in document order. The video player ships full keyboard support.

  • 2.2.2 Pause, stop, hide
    Implemented

    The only autonomous motion is the trail map’s pulsing “you are here” ring; it stops under prefers-reduced-motion.

  • 2.4.1 Bypass blocks
    Implemented

    Skip links in both layouts (public pages and signed-in pages), visually hidden until keyboard focus, then shown as a fixed high-contrast pill.

  • 2.4.6 Headings and labels
    Implemented

    One h1 per page; section structure follows heading levels; admin table columns are labeled th cells.

  • 2.4.7 Focus visible
    Implemented

    Global :focus-visible ring styles applied site-wide.

  • 2.4.11 Focus not obscured (2.2)
    Implemented

    The skip-link pill renders fixed at the top-left above all chrome; no sticky element covers focused controls.

  • 2.5.8 Target size minimum (2.2)
    Implemented

    Interactive targets meet the 24px floor: trail waypoints are 36px badges, nav links and buttons carry padding past 24px height.

Understandable

  • 3.1.1 Language of page
    Implemented

    The document declares lang=“en”.

  • 3.2.3 Consistent navigation
    Implemented

    The app sidebar and course rail render identically on every signed-in page (single layout components).

  • 3.3.2 Labels or instructions
    Implemented

    Login, change-password, admin add-learner, pulse checks, and comment forms all have programmatic labels.

  • 3.3.8 Accessible authentication (2.2)
    Implemented

    Email + password only. No CAPTCHA, no puzzle, no transcription. Paste is not blocked and a show/hide toggle lets a learner verify what they typed, so password managers work. Admin-assisted reset exists; self-serve reset is planned and will also be paste-friendly.

Robust

  • 4.1.2 Name, role, value
    Implemented

    Native elements first; custom tabs expose role tab/tablist/tabpanel with aria-selected and aria-controls; route changes are announced by the built-in route announcer.

How this has been verified

  • Automated / structural: markup and computed-style checks during development.
  • Keyboard walkthroughs: tab-order and arrow-key behavior on the unit page, login, and admin.
  • Not yet done: a full screen-reader pass (NVDA or JAWS) and an automated axe/Lighthouse sweep across all routes, recommended before any formal SITSD review.

Known gaps and watchlist

  1. Caption quality (1.2.2): auto-captions are present but uncorrected. Each video’s track is hand-reviewed as it ships.
  2. Screen-reader pass: a full NVDA/JAWS walkthrough is scheduled before cohort launch hardening.
  3. Admin-only editor and the annotation overlay are instructor-facing custom surfaces that have not yet been audited.
  4. Slide decks are projection-oriented standalone pages; keyboard-navigable, but not yet given a criterion-by-criterion pass.
  5. Trail map on very narrow screens relies on horizontal scroll; the scroll container is being verified for keyboard and screen-reader operability.

Reporting a barrier

If you encounter an accessibility barrier on this site, contact Modus Institute at hello@moduscooperandi.com. Please include the page, what you were trying to do, and the assistive technology you were using so we can reproduce and fix it.