Accessibility

Placer Toolkit understands the necessity for all users, irrespective of their abilities or devices, to have uninterrupted access to the websites and applications developed with it. This is a crucial objective of the project.

Frequently, individuals inquire, “is Placer Toolkit accessible?” We hesitate to respond because accessibility is not a straightforward matter—there isn’t a simple “yes” or “no” answer. What may be accessible to a sighted individual could be entirely inaccessible to someone who is non‐sighted. Moreover, even if you optimise for different screen readers, you must also consider low vision, colour blindness, hearing disabilities, mobility challenges and more.

Accessibility is a continuous pursuit. No single contributor—or even an entire team—can assert that their software is 100% accessible due to the vast range of abilities, devices, assistive technologies and unique use cases.

Additionally, accessibility extends beyond just the component level. Utilising accessible building blocks does not automatically ensure that the rest of your web page or application is compliant. There is no library or overlay that can render your software “fully accessible” without dedicated effort. It’s also important to recognise that web components are still relatively new, meaning that browsers, assistive devices and specifications are continually evolving to enhance accessibility on the web platform.

My promise to Placer Toolkit users is this: Every component will prioritise accessibility. We will rigorously test and enhance each component to the best of our capabilities and knowledge. We will navigate upstream challenges, such as browser bugs and limitations, to the best of our ability and within reasonable limits.

We fully acknowledge that we may not achieve perfection for every user every time, so we encourage the community to engage in this ongoing initiative by submitting issues, pull requests and discussions. Numerous accessibility enhancements have already been accomplished thanks to contributors who have provided code, feedback and insights.

This is the path forward. Together, we will continue to ensure that Placer Toolkit reaches as many users as possible.

— The Placer team