Accessibility
Daily Watch Reports is committed to making its content accessible to all readers, including people who use assistive technologies or who have visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. This page describes our accessibility standard, the specific features we implement, and how to report an accessibility problem.
Our Standard
We target conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. This is the internationally recognized benchmark for web accessibility and is the level required by accessibility laws in many countries. We treat it as a floor, not a ceiling — where we can do better than AA without unreasonable tradeoffs, we aim to.
WCAG 2.1 AA covers four broad principles: content must be perceivable (users can access it with the senses available to them), operable (users can navigate and interact with it), understandable (content and interface behavior are predictable and clear), and robust (content works reliably with current and future assistive technologies). Our implementation efforts are organized around these principles.
What We Do
Images and Visual Media
All editorial images carry descriptive alt text written by the journalist or editor responsible for the article. Alt text describes the content and context of an image — it is not left blank, and it is not filled with keyword strings. Decorative images that convey no information use empty alt attributes so that screen readers skip them correctly. Embedded video content includes captions where the original source provides them; we note when captions are unavailable.
Keyboard Navigation
The Daily Watch Reports website is navigable by keyboard without requiring a mouse. All interactive elements — links, buttons, menus, form fields — are reachable via keyboard in a logical order. Focus states are visible, meaning the currently focused element is clearly highlighted so that keyboard users can track their position on the page.
Color and Contrast
Body text and interactive elements meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratio requirements against their backgrounds — a minimum of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. We do not convey information through color alone. Charts, labels, and status indicators use text, shape, or pattern in addition to color so that readers with color vision deficiencies are not excluded.
Text and Typography
Type is sized in relative units, meaning it scales correctly when readers increase their browser’s default font size. Line length, spacing, and leading are set to support readability. We do not use justified text, which creates uneven word spacing that can make reading more difficult for people with dyslexia.
Structure and Headings
Articles and pages use a logical heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3) that allows screen reader users to navigate by section. Lists are marked up as lists. Tables, when used, have appropriate header cells. The page structure is conveyed through semantic HTML, not visual formatting alone.
Forms and Interactive Features
Form fields — including newsletter signup and contact forms — have visible, properly associated labels. Error messages are descriptive and appear in a location that assistive technologies will announce to the user. We do not use CAPTCHA challenges that rely solely on visual or audio tasks without an accessible alternative.
PDFs and Documents
When we publish downloadable documents, we aim to provide accessible versions — tagged PDFs with reading order, or HTML equivalents. Where a document cannot be made fully accessible, we provide a summary in the body of the page.
Known Limitations
We do not claim perfect accessibility. Third-party advertising scripts, embedded social media content, and some legacy materials may not meet our full standard. We are working to identify and address these gaps. User-submitted content in comments or letters sections may contain elements we have not reviewed.
How to Report an Issue
If you encounter an accessibility barrier on Daily Watch Reports — a page that does not work with your screen reader, an image without a useful description, a form you cannot complete, or any other issue — please tell us. We take these reports seriously and treat them as bugs to be fixed, not edge cases to be noted.
Write to us at [email protected]. Please include:
- The URL of the page or feature where you encountered the problem
- A brief description of what happened or what you were trying to do
- The assistive technology or browser you were using, if relevant
We aim to acknowledge accessibility reports within two business days and to resolve confirmed issues as quickly as our development schedule allows. Where an immediate fix is not possible, we will try to provide an accessible alternative in the interim.
General editorial questions can be sent to [email protected].