ACCESS & USABILITY

The site should be usable by more people.

Charleston Livability aims to be readable, navigable, and useful across devices and with different ways of interacting. This page explains the practical goals, the unavoidable limits, and how to report a barrier.

Three practical principles

Keyboard first

Menus, links, forms, and controls should work without a mouse.

Clear structure

Headings, labels, links, and section order should make it clear where you are and what to do next.

Useful alternatives

When a feature is difficult to use, the goal is to provide another practical way to get the information.

AT A GLANCE

The short version

Accessibility here is practical rather than ceremonial. The essentials:

Keyboard use

Navigation, menus, forms, buttons, and links should remain reachable without a mouse.

Readable structure

Clear headings, sensible order, descriptive links, and useful labels should help people find their way.

Responsive behavior

Content should remain useful at desktop, tablet, and mobile widths, including on touch devices.

Images and labels

Meaningful images should have useful alternative text, and controls should explain what they do.

Third-party limits

Maps, MLS/IDX displays, embedded media, analytics, and browser behavior may not offer the same control as native content.

HOW THE SITE IS BUILT

Accessibility belongs in the ordinary build.

Pages use semantic headings and structured content where practical. Core information should remain available without depending entirely on a script or a particular interaction.

Keyboard users should be able to move through links, controls, and forms, with focus states that make the current location visible. Layouts are designed to adapt across screen sizes rather than making mobile users negotiate a shrunken desktop page.

When a map, listing display, or other third-party feature is difficult to use, I aim to provide a practical alternative or another way to get the information.

What I aim for

This is an ongoing working standard, not a claim of perfect accessibility. New components should be checked with keyboard navigation, clear labels, readable contrast, responsive behavior, and one basic question: can someone understand what is happening and what to do next?

Found a barrier?

Contact me at [email protected].
Please include the page URL, what went wrong, the device and browser or assistive technology you used, and the best way to follow up. Screenshots are welcome. So are plain descriptions like “the menu opens, but I cannot tab to the close button.”

A continuing responsibility

Accessibility is part of the site maintenance process, not a decorative badge. The site will change, and changes may occasionally create new problems. If you report one, I can investigate it, improve the implementation where I have control, and look for a practical alternative where I do not.