Accessibility

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA. WCAG is the worldwide standard for accessible websites, written by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Version 2.2 is the latest finished version, and Level AA is the level most organizations work toward.

We're a young nonprofit and we're still working toward that goal. We don't claim the site fully meets it yet. This page is honest about where we are.

This statement covers riseaid.org: the resource directory, guides, state pages, stories, the shop, donating, volunteering, and the member and volunteer portals. It also covers how we help you by phone, text, and email.

• Plain language. We aim to write our guides and pages at about a 6th to 8th grade reading level, with short steps and lists.
• Image descriptions. Photos that carry meaning have text descriptions for screen readers. Decorative images are marked so screen readers skip them.
• Labeled controls. Icon-only buttons, like the play button on a story video or the arrows on our homepage slideshow, have names that screen readers announce.
• Captions on our story videos. Videos people share with us through our own uploader get English captions, turned on by default. Some story pages also have a written transcript you can open and read.
• Less motion when you ask for it. If your phone or computer is set to reduce motion, our homepage slideshow stops moving on its own and our animations turn off. The slideshow also pauses while your mouse is over it or while you're tabbing through it.
• Readable text. Body text is set in a clear typeface at a comfortable size, and pages work when you zoom in.
• A skip link. Press Tab on any page and the first thing you reach is "Skip to content." It jumps you past the menu, straight to what you came for.
• Stronger pink. Buttons and labels with white text now use our deeper pink, and small pink text on light backgrounds uses a darker shade, so both meet the WCAG contrast standard and are easier to read.
• Page language. Every page tells assistive technology that it's written in English, so it's read aloud correctly.
• Works on phones. Pages adjust to small screens, so you don't need a computer to use the site.

We'd rather tell you than have you find out the hard way. Here is what we know isn't right yet:

• Slideshow pause. The homepage slideshow pauses on hover, on keyboard focus, and for reduced-motion settings, but it doesn't have its own pause button yet.
• Automatic captions. Captions on uploaded stories are made by software, so they can have mistakes, especially with names and slang.
• Videos hosted elsewhere. Some stories play from YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, or Instagram. Captions and controls on those players are up to those companies, and some of those videos may not have captions.
• Tools from other companies. Checkout (Stripe) and member video calls (Daily) run on other companies' systems. We chose well-known services, but we don't control how accessible they are.

If one of these, or anything else, gets in your way, please tell us. We'll help you another way right now, and use what you tell us to fix it.

You never have to use the website to get help from RISEaid. Call, text or email us and ask for a person on our team, who can:

• Read a guide or resource listing to you over the phone.
• Help you fill out a volunteer form or membership application by phone.
• Send information as a plain-text email, which works well with screen readers and text-to-speech.

Call or text 888-860-RISE (888-860-7473), or email hello@riseaid.org. If you're Deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, you can reach us through any relay service, including by dialing 711.

If you need something not on this list, ask. We'll work with you to find a way.

Email hello@riseaid.org with the word Accessibility in the subject line, or call or text 888-860-RISE. It helps to tell us:

• The page address, or what you were trying to do.
• What went wrong.
• The device, browser, or assistive technology you use, if you know.
• The best way to reach you back.

Our goal is to reply within 2 business days. If the problem is blocking you from getting help, donating, or applying, we'll help you another way first and fix the page after.

Right now our own team reviews pages as we build them, and we fix problems people report to us. We haven't had an outside accessibility audit yet. We plan to get one as RISEaid grows, and we'll update this page when we do.