Accessibility Statement

1. Our Commitment

We want everyone to be able to use this website — including visitors who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, screen magnification, voice control, or other assistive technologies. Our goal is to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA for all pages on this site.

Accessibility is built into how we design and maintain the site, not added as a separate layer. We test with assistive technologies, keyboard-only navigation, and color contrast checkers as part of our regular website maintenance.

2. Conformance Status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. WCAG 2.1 has three conformance levels: A (lowest), AA (mid), and AAA (highest).

This website is fully conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. "Fully conformant" means that the content fully conforms to the accessibility standard without any exceptions.

Our most recent full audit was completed in December 2025. Ongoing testing is conducted quarterly.

3. Accessibility Features

The following accessibility features are implemented across the site:

3.1 Structure & navigation

• Semantic HTML5 structure (header, nav, main, footer, article, section) on every page.
• A consistent navigation structure with a "skip to main content" link for keyboard users.
• Descriptive, hierarchical heading structure (H1 → H2 → H3).
• Logical tab order that follows the visual reading order.
• Landmark regions (banner, navigation, main, contentinfo) to help screen reader users navigate quickly.

3.2 Keyboard accessibility

• All interactive elements — links, buttons, form controls, dropdowns, and modals — are fully keyboard accessible.
• Visible focus indicators are present on all focusable elements.
• Modal dialogs trap focus while open and return focus to the triggering element when closed.
• The mobile navigation can be fully operated with a keyboard.

3.3 Visual design

• Text-to-background contrast ratios meet or exceed WCAG AA requirements (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text).
• Color is never the only means of conveying information. Status indicators, form errors, and interactive states all use additional cues.
• The site remains usable at 200% zoom without loss of content or functionality.
• Layouts reflow to a single column on narrow viewports, including mobile phones and split-screen tablet modes.
• Text can be resized up to 200% without requiring horizontal scrolling.

3.4 Forms & interaction

• All form fields have associated, descriptive labels.
• Required fields are marked both visually and programmatically.
• Error messages are announced to screen readers and clearly describe the problem.
• Multi-step forms (such as the quote request) provide clear progress indication and allow navigation forward and backward.
• File upload controls are usable with both mouse and keyboard, and describe accepted file formats.

3.5 Assistive technology support

• All images have appropriate alternative text (alt attributes).
• Decorative images use empty alt attributes so screen readers skip them.
• ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles, states, and properties are used appropriately where native HTML elements are insufficient.
• Dynamic content changes are announced to screen readers via live regions where appropriate.

4. Known Limitations

We are not currently aware of any accessibility limitations on the site that would affect users' ability to access information or complete actions. If you encounter a barrier we've missed, please let us know using the feedback process below — we take these reports seriously and respond within 5 business days.

5. Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of northlinecoat.digital. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, please let us know:

5.1 How to report an issue

• Email: [email protected] with the subject line "Accessibility."
• Phone: (616) 452-8817, Monday through Friday, 7:00am – 4:30pm Eastern Time.
• Mail: Northline Coating Co., 1120 Burton St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49509. Please mark correspondence "Accessibility."

5.2 What to include

To help us respond quickly, please include:

• The web address (URL) of the page where you encountered the issue.
• A description of the barrier you experienced.
• The assistive technology or browser you were using (if applicable).
• Your contact information, in case we need to follow up with questions.

5.3 Our response

We aim to acknowledge accessibility reports within 2 business days and to provide a substantive response within 5 business days. If the issue requires changes to the site, we will tell you our expected timeline and follow up when the fix is live.

6. Technical Specifications

Accessibility of this website relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
• WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
• JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used. The site does not require any browser plugin or extension to be fully accessible.

7. Assessment Approach

We assess the accessibility of this website using the following methods:

• Self-evaluation against WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria, conducted quarterly.
• Automated accessibility scanning using recognized tools (axe, Lighthouse, WAVE).
• Manual keyboard-only navigation testing on all pages and forms.
• Screen reader testing with NVDA (Windows) and VoiceOver (macOS/iOS).
• Color contrast verification against WCAG AA standards.

8. Changes to This Statement

We may update this Accessibility Statement as the site changes, as new standards emerge, or after an accessibility audit. The "Last updated" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision.

9. Contact

For accessibility-related questions, reports, or requests, please contact us: