Last updated: 7/28/2026
I want this site to be usable by the widest possible readership, including readers using screen readers, magnification, keyboard-only navigation, or speech input. Where the platform prevents me from meeting that aim, I would rather say so plainly and supply an alternative on request than claim otherwise.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for accessible web content. This site aims at WCAG 2.2 Level AA and is currently partially conformant: most content meets the standard, but some does not, for the reasons given below.
Within what the platform allows, I have: used the built-in heading styles consistently so that page structure is conveyed programmatically rather than by visual formatting alone; supplied text alternatives for informative images at the point of insertion; used descriptive link text rather than bare URLs or "click here"; maintained contrast at or above 4.5:1 for body text; avoided image carousels, slideshows, and layout-only tables; and kept pages to a simple single-column structure that reflows on small screens and at high zoom.
1. The publishing platform. This site is built with Google Sites, which does not give site owners access to the underlying HTML, ARIA attributes, landmark roles, or skip links, and which constrains the heading hierarchy available in the editor. Certain built-in components are not fully operable by keyboard or correctly announced by screen readers. These constraints cannot be corrected by a site owner. Google publishes an accessibility conformance report for the platform, which documents its status in detail.
2. PDFs of published work. Publisher-supplied and older scanned PDFs are frequently untagged, lack a defined reading order, and may be unreadable by screen readers. These files are not under my control. If you need any text on this site in an accessible format, write to efiese2@uic.edu and I will supply one.
3. Embedded content. Embedded documents, recordings, or profile widgets are supplied by external services, and their accessibility is outside my control.
4. Recorded talks. Recordings lack captions or transcripts. Transcripts will be provided on request.
Feedback on the accessibility of this site is welcome and genuinely useful. If you encounter a barrier, or need material in an alternative format, write to efiese2@uic.edu. I aim to respond within 2–5 business days and to supply alternative formats within one week.
Accessibility here depends on HTML, CSS, WAI-ARIA, JavaScript, and PDF working with your browser and any assistive technology you use.
Assessed by self-evaluation on 7/28/2026, using automated checking with e.g. WAVE or Lighthouse together with keyboard and screen-reader testing of representative pages.
This statement was prepared on 7/28/2026 and applies to https://sites.google.com/view/emmafieser/home.