Accessibility Statement

Emerald Coast Acting Academy's Commitment to Inclusive Access

Our Commitment to Accessibility

At Emerald Coast Acting Academy, located in Pensacola, Florida, we are committed to providing a website that is accessible to everyone, regardless of technology or ability. We strive to ensure our online content and services are usable by people with disabilities. Our commitment aligns with our mission to make acting education accessible to all aspiring performers on the Emerald Coast and beyond.

We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our website, emeraldcoastactingacademy.com, to meet the needs of all users, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments. We believe everyone deserves equal access to information and opportunity.

Accessibility logo symbolizing access for all

Conformance to Accessibility Standards

Emerald Coast Acting Academy is committed to conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines outline how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA ensures that our website is:

  • Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, providing captions and other alternatives for audio and video content, ensuring content is adaptable, and making it easier for users to see and hear content.
  • Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. This includes making all functionality available from a keyboard, giving users enough time to read and use content, not using content that causes seizures, and helping users navigate and find content.
  • Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. This includes making text readable and understandable, making content appear and operate in predictable ways, and helping users avoid and correct mistakes.
  • Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This includes ensuring compatibility with current and future user agents.
Keyboard icon representing keyboard navigation

Accessibility Features Implemented

To ensure our website is accessible, we have implemented the following features:

  • Alternative Text for Images: All images have descriptive alternative text (alt text) to provide context for users who cannot see the images.
  • Keyboard Navigation: Our website can be navigated using a keyboard, allowing users who cannot use a mouse to access all content and functionality.
  • Clear and Consistent Navigation: We have designed our navigation to be clear and consistent, making it easy for users to find what they are looking for.
  • Sufficient Color Contrast: We have ensured that there is sufficient color contrast between text and background colors to make content readable for users with low vision.
  • Resizable Text: Users can increase the text size on our website without losing content or functionality.
  • Captions and Transcripts: All video and audio content includes captions and transcripts to make it accessible to users with hearing impairments.
  • Semantic HTML: We use semantic HTML elements to structure our content, making it easier for assistive technologies to understand and interpret.
  • ARIA Attributes: We use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to provide additional information to assistive technologies, enhancing the accessibility of interactive elements.
  • Forms Accessibility: All form fields are properly labeled and include clear instructions to help users complete them accurately.
  • Responsive Design: Our website is designed to be responsive, adapting to different screen sizes and devices to ensure a consistent user experience.

Ongoing Efforts

We are committed to continuously improving the accessibility of our website. Our ongoing efforts include:

  • Regularly auditing our website to identify and address accessibility issues.
  • Providing accessibility training to our staff to ensure they understand accessibility best practices.
  • Incorporating accessibility considerations into our website development and design processes.
  • Monitoring user feedback to identify areas for improvement.

Exceptions

While we strive to make all content on our website accessible, there may be some exceptions. For example, some older documents or third-party content may not fully conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. We are working to address these issues as quickly as possible.

Reporting Accessibility Issues

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our website. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Phone: (850) 555-ACT2 (2282)
  • Mailing Address: Emerald Coast Acting Academy, Accessibility Department, 123 Main Street, Pensacola, FL 32501

Please provide as much detail as possible about the accessibility issue you encountered, including the web page URL, the specific problem, and any assistive technology you were using. We will make every effort to address your concerns promptly and provide you with the information you need in an accessible format.

Formal Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility feedback, you may file a formal complaint with the Emerald Coast Acting Academy's Administration. Please submit your complaint in writing to the mailing address listed above. Your complaint will be reviewed by our Accessibility Committee, and we will respond to you within 30 business days.

Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites that are not under our control. Emerald Coast Acting Academy is not responsible for the accessibility of these websites. We encourage you to review the accessibility statements of any third-party websites you visit.

Accessibility Consultant

Emerald Coast Acting Academy works with "Access Forward Solutions" to ensure that our website meets all the requirements for WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance. Contact them at [email protected] for any accessibility issues.

Accessibility Statement Updates

This accessibility statement was last updated on October 26, 2023. We may update this statement periodically to reflect changes in our accessibility efforts. Please check this page regularly for the latest information.

Thank you for helping us make the Emerald Coast Acting Academy website a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.