Accessibility

Our Commitment

The Afghan-American Professional Network is committed to making its website accessible to all users, including those who rely on assistive technologies. APN targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance across all public pages.

We believe accessibility is not a compliance exercise, it is a reflection of our values. An inclusive network builds an accessible website. We continually work to improve the accessibility of our site and welcome feedback.

What We Do

Our efforts to maintain accessibility include:

• Contrast-checked color palette: Our primary palette uses Diplomat Navy (#0B1F3A) for text and UI elements on light backgrounds. Text links use #A00D25 (approximately 7.5:1 contrast on our cream background). Primary buttons use white text on Pomegranate (#C8102E) at 5.6:1 contrast, passing WCAG AA for large text. We do not render Pomegranate text on Navy backgrounds, which would fail WCAG AA.
• Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements, including navigation menus, form inputs, buttons, and accordion disclosures, are reachable and operable by keyboard. Visible focus indicators (navy focus rings) appear on all focused elements.
• Skip links: A skip-to-main-content link is available at the top of each page to allow keyboard and screen reader users to bypass navigation and reach the main content directly.
• Minimum text size: Body text is set at a minimum of 16px (1rem). No text on any page is rendered below 14px (0.875rem).
• Meaningful alt text: All images include descriptive alt text. Founding member headshots use the format “[Name], [Professional Category]” to convey relevant identity information. Decorative images are marked as presentational.
• Accessible forms: All form inputs have associated <label> elements or equivalent ARIA labels. Error messages are associated with the relevant input field and announced to screen readers. Required fields are clearly indicated.
• Semantic HTML: We use appropriate heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3), landmark regions (nav, main, footer), and semantic elements to support assistive technology navigation.
• Responsive design: All pages are designed to function correctly from 320px mobile viewports through desktop widths, without horizontal scrolling or loss of functionality.
• Automated testing: We run axe-core automated accessibility checks targeting zero critical or serious WCAG violations on all public pages.

Known Limitations

We strive for full WCAG 2.1 AA conformance but acknowledge the following known limitations at the time of this writing:

• Founding member headshots: Some founding member headshots may not yet be available; placeholder silhouette images are used in their place and are marked with appropriate alt text.
• Sanity CMS content: Editorial content (articles, events) is authored in our CMS. While we provide guidance to content authors on accessible formatting, not all CMS-authored content has been audited for full accessibility compliance.
• PDF documents: Any linked PDF documents in the resources area have not been individually audited for accessibility. We are working to ensure all documents are in accessible formats.
• Third-party embeds: Third-party content (such as embedded maps or external media) may not fully conform to WCAG 2.1 AA. We limit third-party embeds to minimize this risk.

We are actively working to address these limitations and will update this page as improvements are made.

Accommodation Requests and Feedback

If you experience an accessibility barrier on our website or need this content in an alternative format, we want to hear from you. We will do our best to accommodate your needs and to address the underlying barrier.

Please contact us with:

• The URL of the page where you encountered the issue.
• A description of the barrier or the accommodation you need.
• Your preferred format or method of contact for our response.

We aim to respond to accessibility inquiries within 5 business days.