I want everyone to be able to read this site, including people using screen readers, keyboards, magnifiers, phones in bright sun, and text browsers. I hold it to WCAG 2.1 level AA, and to the stricter AAA level for color contrast where I can.
The Americans with Disabilities Act has no certification for websites. In April 2024 the Justice Department published a rule under Title II of the ADA that makes WCAG 2.1 AA the technical standard for state and local government websites, and it has become the working yardstick for everyone else. So that is the bar this site measures itself against.
What was checked
Lighthouse. Google's Lighthouse gives every page type here, meaning the front page, posts, archives, projects, the wiki, and the wiki's main page, 100 out of 100 for accessibility, along with 99 or 100 for performance and 100 for best practices and SEO. The monthly and category archive pages are deliberately kept out of search results, so they score lower on SEO by design.
Contrast. Body text is about 17 to 1 against the page in light mode and 14 to 1 in dark mode. Gray text, link colors, visited links, date headers, and the badges are intended to meet at least 4.5 to 1, and most aim for the AAA level of 7 to 1. These are design targets rather than a certification. Both themes were checked pair by pair.
Keyboard and screen readers. A skip link jumps past the banner, focus is visible, headings run in order, landmarks are labeled, and links say where they go. Tap targets are at least 24 pixels apart.
No tricks required. The site works with JavaScript off and reads well in Lynx. The dark button remembers your choice, and until you press it the site follows your system setting. Text reflows to one column on a phone with no sideways scrolling.
October 16 correction and verification
ChatGPT identified two keyboard-focus color conflicts in the source CSS: the skip link inherited text and background of the same color, as did focused main navigation links. The stylesheet has been changed and the work is recorded in the public handoff. Passing Lighthouse or a static audit does not prove full WCAG conformance; manual keyboard, zoom, and assistive-technology checks still matter.
What automated tests miss
Automated checkers catch only part of what WCAG covers. They can't tell whether a link's words make sense out of context or whether a post reads clearly. If something here is hard for you to use, email cja@well.com and I will fix it.