Our Commitment
Emergence Pathways is committed to ensuring that our website, digital materials, and program resources are accessible to the widest possible audience — including people with disabilities. We believe that accessibility is not a feature to be added, but a fundamental part of creating the genuinely inclusive spaces our mission demands.
Our work exists to support queer and questioning adults, the people who love them, and the allies who want to show up better. That mission only holds meaning if the spaces we create — digital and physical — are truly open to everyone. Accessibility barriers don’t just create legal risk; they actively exclude the very communities we exist to serve.
Standards We Follow
Emergence Pathways strives to conform to the following accessibility standards:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA — the internationally recognized benchmark for web accessibility, as referenced by both US and EU regulatory frameworks
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — Title III requirements for places of public accommodation, including commercial websites, as interpreted through current US Department of Justice guidance and case law
- European Accessibility Act (EAA) — Directive 2019/882, which establishes accessibility requirements for products and services across EU member states, with enforcement effective June 28, 2025
- EN 301 549 — the harmonized European standard for ICT accessibility, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA and extends additional requirements to documents, software, and multimedia
As an organization operating in the United States with plans to establish operations in the Netherlands, we maintain compliance awareness across both US and EU accessibility frameworks. We monitor regulatory developments in both jurisdictions, including the DOJ’s 2024 ADA Title II web accessibility rule and evolving EU enforcement guidance, to ensure our practices keep pace with legal requirements.
What We Do
We take the following measures to support the accessibility of emergencepathways.org and our digital materials:
- Include accessibility as a core consideration in our content creation processes, from web pages to participant workbooks, slide decks, and downloadable resources
- Use semantic HTML structure with proper heading hierarchies, landmark regions, and ARIA attributes where needed
- Provide meaningful alternative text for informational images across our website and documents
- Ensure sufficient color contrast ratios in all text and interactive elements, including within our brand color palette
- Design for keyboard navigability so that all interactive features can be accessed without a mouse
- Structure our participant-facing documents (workbooks, cheat sheets, forms) with proper reading order, tagged headings, and accessible formatting when exported to PDF
- Provide captions and/or transcripts for video and audio content
- Write in plain, clear language — particularly for participant-facing materials — aiming for broad readability without sacrificing nuance
- Conduct periodic reviews of our website and materials to identify and address accessibility gaps
Known Limitations
Despite our efforts, some areas of our digital presence may not yet fully meet all accessibility standards. We are actively working to improve the following:
- Some older PDF documents may not have fully tagged structures or optimized reading order; we are updating these on a rolling basis
- Third-party content embedded on our site (such as video players, booking widgets, or social media feeds) may have accessibility limitations outside our direct control; we select third-party tools with accessibility in mind and advocate for improvements where possible
- Some interactive or dynamic content features may not yet have complete keyboard and screen reader support; we test and remediate these as they are identified
We view accessibility as ongoing work, not a final destination. We are continuously identifying areas for improvement and addressing them as part of our regular content and technology updates.
Compatibility
Our website is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:
- Screen readers (including JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack)
- Screen magnification software
- Speech recognition software
- Operating system accessibility features (high contrast modes, text scaling, reduced motion preferences)
Our site is designed to function across modern web browsers, including current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Feedback and Contact
We welcome feedback on the accessibility of Emergence Pathways’ website and materials. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, have difficulty accessing any content, or have suggestions for improvement, please let us know. Your input helps us do better.
You can reach us at:
- Email: accessibility@emergencepathways.org
- Website: emergencepathways.org/contact
We aim to respond to accessibility-related feedback within 5 business days. Where a barrier is identified, we will work to provide an accessible alternative as promptly as possible while we address the underlying issue.
Enforcement Procedures
In the United States:
If you believe that Emergence Pathways has not adequately responded to your accessibility concern, you may file a complaint with the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, through their ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY), or online at ada.gov.
In the European Union / Netherlands:
Under the European Accessibility Act and the Dutch implementation of the Web Accessibility Directive, you may contact the relevant national enforcement authority. In the Netherlands, accessibility enforcement for digital services is coordinated through established complaint and supervision mechanisms. We encourage you to contact us first so we can address your concern directly.
Assessment and Review
This accessibility statement was prepared based on a self-assessment of the emergencepathways.org website and our core digital materials. We review and update this statement periodically, and at minimum annually, to reflect changes in our content, technology, and the applicable regulatory landscape.
Our most recent assessment included a review of our website structure, navigation, color contrast, document accessibility, multimedia alternatives, and keyboard operability against WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria.