Accessibility Policy

1. Commitment to Accessibility

Accessibility is a continuous process, and we are actively working to improve our website’s usability and compliance with international accessibility standards.

2. Standards and Guidelines

We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines define how to make web content more accessible to people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities.

As of now, we are progressively implementing accessibility improvements and expect to achieve substantial compliance within the coming months.

3. Accessibility Features and Ongoing Improvements

We are currently developing and improving features that enhance accessibility, including:

• High Contrast Mode – a toggle option to improve text and background contrast for better readability.
• Adjustable Font Sizes and Styles – controls that allow users to increase text size or switch to more readable fonts.
• Text-to-Speech Functionality – an audio reading feature to allow users with visual impairments to listen to news articles and polls.
• Keyboard Navigation – ensuring all interactive elements can be accessed via keyboard.
• Semantic HTML and ARIA Labels – providing meaningful structure for screen readers.

Our goal is to ensure that every update to our site enhances accessibility for all users.

4. Known Limitations

We acknowledge that some content or legacy components may not yet fully meet accessibility standards. We are continuously auditing and updating these areas to ensure full compliance.

If you encounter any accessibility barriers, please let us know — your feedback helps us improve.

5. Feedback and Contact Information

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of The Side News. If you experience difficulty using our website or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all accessibility-related inquiries within a reasonable timeframe.

6. Assessment and Continuous Improvement

Accessibility is not a one-time effort but an ongoing responsibility. We regularly review our website using automated tools (such as Lighthouse and axe DevTools) and manual testing to identify and fix accessibility issues.

7. Future Enhancements

In the coming months, we plan to:

• Fully deploy high contrast and adjustable font features.
• Add a “Listen to Article” button using text-to-speech technology.
• Conduct accessibility testing with users and assistive technologies.

8. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Accessibility Policy from time to time to reflect new accessibility initiatives or improvements. Any changes will be posted on this page with the new “Last Updated” date.