Accessibility at UCCAC
We believe creativity is for everyone. We are dedicated to removing barriers and expanding access to the arts, ensuring that our entire community feels welcome.
Our Space
- Full Mobility Access: All of our public areas, restrooms, studios, galleries, and classrooms are fully accessible.
- Ramp Access: A ramp provides smooth navigation and easy entry to our spaces and facilities.
- Service Animals: Fully trained service animals are always welcome in our building.
- Wayfinding signage uses large fonts, high contrast, and a flat finish for persons with low vision.
- Exhibition signage uses large font, high contrast, and a flat finish for persons with low vision.
- All artwork labels are printed in 18pt font in black on a white background.
- Large Print Gallery Guides are available for all exhibition brochures.
- All Large Print Gallery Guides are linked via QR code to a digital copy that can be read with a screen reader.
Plan Your Visit
Have a question or need to request a specific accommodation? We are here to help! Please reach out to us at (704) 283-2784. See our hours, holiday closures, and parking information.
Our Standard
We have worked to align this website with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA — the technical standard most commonly referenced under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for web accessibility.
This is an ongoing goal rather than a one-time achievement: as pages are added or updated, we continue to review them against this standard.
What We've Done
- Full keyboard navigation, including a “skip to main content” link and a visible focus indicator on every interactive element.
- Proper heading structure and landmark regions, so screen reader users can navigate the page by section rather than reading it top to bottom.
- Descriptive alternative text on meaningful images; purely decorative images are marked so screen readers skip them instead of announcing redundant text.
- Text and background color combinations that meet WCAG's minimum contrast requirements.
- Forms with labels properly associated to their fields, and error messages that are announced to assistive technology, not just shown visually.
- Support for your browser or operating system's text-resizing, reduced-motion, and high-contrast settings.
- A transcript-request option on video content that isn't yet captioned.
How We Test
We test this site using axe-core, the accessibility engine behind tools like axe DevTools and Google Lighthouse, run against every page and page template on the site rather than a sample. We supplement that with manual review: navigating the site by keyboard only, checking focus order and visible focus states, and verifying screen-reader-relevant markup — headings, labels, roles, and live regions — by hand. We also test the site under enlarged text, high-contrast, and reduced-motion conditions.
This testing is conducted internally as part of our website development process, not by a certified third-party accessibility auditor.
Known Limitations
No website can guarantee accessibility in every scenario, and we want to be upfront about a few things outside our full control:
- Some content is embedded from or powered by third-party services — Google Maps, event registration and donation forms hosted by Zeffy, a Google Form for general volunteer interest, and a Google Sheets-backed sign-up system for scheduled volunteer shifts — which we don't control and which may not fully meet the same standard.
- Some flyers and event materials are provided as PDFs. If you have trouble accessing one, contact us and we'll provide the information in another format.
- Exhibitions, events, classes, artist profiles, and other content are added and updated regularly by our staff. We aim for every new page to meet the same standard, and we welcome reports if something falls short.
Report a Barrier
If you encounter an accessibility barrier on this website, or need information in an alternative format, please contact us — we'll do our best to respond promptly and address it.