Designed for everyone.

Our commitment.

Nita's Silent Hands, Inc. exists to bridge the Deaf and hearing communities. Designing the website, our programs, and our communications to be accessible to people of all abilities is foundational to that mission, not a postscript.

We are committed to providing a website that is usable by Deaf and hard of hearing visitors, blind and low-vision visitors, visitors with cognitive or motor impairments, visitors with limited bandwidth or older devices, and visitors using assistive technologies of any kind.

Standards we follow.

Our goal is to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 at the AA level, the international standard for digital accessibility. We are working toward this standard as a living commitment rather than a one-time compliance check.

We do not claim full conformance at this time. We are early in the website's lifecycle and continue to identify and address accessibility issues as they surface. A formal third-party accessibility audit is planned for fiscal year 2028.

Current accessibility features.

The website is designed with semantic HTML structure, sufficient color contrast between text and background, scalable typography that responds to browser zoom and text resizing, keyboard-navigable forms and links, descriptive link text rather than ambiguous click here language, and mobile-responsive layouts that work across screen sizes and devices.

Forms include clear labels and error messages. Images include descriptive alternative text where they convey content. Videos that appear on the site include captions or transcripts whenever the content is informational rather than decorative.

Where we are still working.

We acknowledge openly that this site has not been audited by an independent accessibility expert. There may be elements that do not yet meet WCAG AA standards. Areas we are actively monitoring and improving include focus state visibility on interactive elements, deeper screen reader testing across donation and program registration flows, captions and transcripts on any embedded video content, and accessibility of third-party embedded forms (Stripe checkout, GoHighLevel forms).

If you encounter a barrier, we want to know about it.

Alternative ways to reach us.

If any part of this website is inaccessible to you, every interaction we offer through the site is also available through direct contact. You can reach Nita's Silent Hands, Inc. by email at [email protected], by mail at 121 W Main Ave, Gastonia, NC 28052, or through any of our social media channels at @nitassilenthands on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For program registration, donations, sponsorship inquiries, or any other action that the website handles, we will gladly process your request through email or mail. We do not want a website limitation to be a barrier to participation.

Third-party content.

Some elements of this website are powered by third-party services, including Stripe for payment processing and GoHighLevel for form embedding. We work to ensure these third-party tools meet accessibility standards, but their accessibility is ultimately controlled by the providers. If you encounter accessibility barriers in these tools specifically, please let us know so we can advocate with the providers and offer you an alternative pathway.

Your feedback shapes our work.

If you experience an accessibility issue on this website, encounter content that does not work with your assistive technology, or have suggestions for how we can do better, please tell us. Email [email protected] with the subject line ACCESSIBILITY. Include the page or feature where the issue occurred and what assistive technology or browser you are using if you can.

We respond to accessibility feedback within five business days. We treat accessibility feedback as a gift, not a complaint.

A note on Deaf accessibility specifically.

Because we serve the Deaf community as our central mission, we hold our own work to a particular standard of Deaf accessibility. Video content on the site includes captions or ASL interpretation. Programs use ASL as a primary language, not as an accommodation. Public-facing communications acknowledge that English is not the first language of every Deaf person we serve and aim for clarity that crosses both worlds.

If you are part of the Deaf community and you find anything on this site that falls short of that standard, please reach us directly. The bridge between communities only works if it works in both directions.