Our Commitment to Accessible Property Tax Information
appraisaldistrict.org/ is committed to making the site usable by everyone, including people who use screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, magnification, and other assistive technologies. We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA and apply ADA Title III and Section 508 principles to our editorial work.
What’s on this page
1. Our Commitment
Property tax information has high stakes — the difference between filing a homestead exemption on time and missing the deadline is real money for real Texans. We believe everyone, regardless of disability, should be able to find their CAD, read the deadlines, and reach the right portal. We treat accessibility as an editorial standard alongside accuracy and currency, not as an afterthought.
2. Standards We Apply
We target the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. WCAG 2.1 AA is the recognized international benchmark and is the standard cited in U.S. Department of Justice guidance under the Americans with Disabilities Act, in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (which applies to federal contractors and is widely used as a private-sector benchmark), and in state-level web accessibility laws.
3. U.S. Legal Framework
| Law / standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| ADA Title III | The Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III, applies to “places of public accommodation.” DOJ guidance and federal courts increasingly apply Title III principles to commercial websites. We apply WCAG 2.1 AA as our benchmark for compliance with the spirit of Title III. |
| Section 508 | Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act sets accessibility requirements for federal contractors. We apply Section 508 standards as a private-sector benchmark. |
| State web-accessibility laws | California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act and the New York State Human Rights Law (among others) have been applied to commercial websites. WCAG 2.1 AA is the consistent target across these regimes. |
| Texas accessibility framework | Texas state government websites follow Texas Government Code Chapter 2054 / 1 TAC Chapter 206-207 (state agency standards). Although those rules apply to state agencies rather than private sites, we use them as a reference point for accessibility on Texas-focused content. |
4. Accessibility Features Built Into the Site
Semantic HTML
Proper heading hierarchy, landmarks, lists, and tables with appropriate roles for screen readers
Color contrast
Body text and key UI elements meet or exceed WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 for normal text)
Keyboard navigation
All interactive elements are reachable and usable with the keyboard alone
Visible focus
Clear focus indicators on links, buttons, and form controls
Alt text
Descriptive alt text on meaningful images; decorative images marked as such
Descriptive links
Link text describes the destination; no “click here” or “read more” without context
200% zoom
Layouts work at 200% browser zoom and at increased text sizes
No autoplay
No autoplay video or audio; no flashing content above the WCAG threshold
Resizable text
Text can be resized without loss of content or function
Form labels
Every form input has an explicit label; errors are programmatically associated
Declared language
The page language is declared (en-US) so screen readers use the right pronunciation
Reduced motion
The site respects the prefers-reduced-motion setting in your operating system
5. Assistive Technology Compatibility
The site is built and tested to work with mainstream assistive technologies, including:
| Technology | Status |
|---|---|
| NVDA (Windows screen reader) | Tested with current and previous major versions |
| JAWS (Windows screen reader) | Tested with current and previous major versions |
| VoiceOver (macOS & iOS) | Tested with current macOS and iOS |
| TalkBack (Android) | Tested with current Android |
| Narrator (Windows) | Compatible |
| Browser zoom and OS magnification | Up to 200% with no loss of content |
| Voice control (Dragon, Voice Control on macOS/iOS) | Compatible with semantic landmarks and labeled controls |
| Keyboard-only operation | Full site usable without a mouse or pointing device |
6. Supported Browsers
We support the current and one previous major version of:
- Google Chrome (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)
- Mozilla Firefox (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)
- Apple Safari (macOS, iOS, iPadOS)
- Microsoft Edge (Windows, macOS)
- Samsung Internet (Android)
Older browsers may load the site, but accessibility features depending on modern web standards may not work consistently. If you can, please use a current version.
7. Keyboard Navigation
The site is fully keyboard-operable. Common shortcuts:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Move forward through interactive elements |
| Shift + Tab | Move backward through interactive elements |
| Enter | Activate links and submit buttons |
| Space | Activate buttons; scroll the page |
| Arrow keys | Move within form controls and menus |
| Esc | Close modal dialogs and pop-ups |
If you discover a place where the keyboard focus gets stuck, where a control isn’t reachable, or where an element activates without a clear focus indicator, please tell us — that’s a bug we want to fix.
8. Known Limitations
We are continuously working on accessibility, but the following limitations exist as of the last review:
- Older content — pages published before our current accessibility standard was adopted may not yet meet WCAG 2.1 AA in every detail. We are working through them in the quarterly review cycle.
- Embedded Google Maps — when consented and loaded, Google Maps embeds (used to show CAD office locations) inherit Google’s accessibility implementation, which is good but outside our direct control.
- External PDFs — many CADs and the Texas Comptroller publish forms as PDF. The accessibility of those PDFs depends on the issuing agency. Where a PDF appears not to have a tagged structure, we link to it with that caveat noted.
- Auto-generated content — for the largest CADs we publish across many subpages; if a subpage hasn’t been through the manual accessibility review yet, it may have minor issues we will catch in the next review pass.
If you encounter an accessibility barrier, please report it (Section 12) so we can address it directly and ahead of the next scheduled review.
9. Third-Party Content
The site includes content we do not directly control:
- Display advertising — accessibility is determined by the ad creative supplied by the advertiser through the ad network
- Embedded Google Maps — accessibility per Google’s implementation
- Outbound links to CAD websites and the Comptroller — accessibility per the linked agency
We make reasonable efforts to choose vendors and partners that take accessibility seriously, but we cannot guarantee the accessibility of third-party content the way we can for our own pages.
10. Alternative Formats
If you cannot access content on the site for accessibility reasons, please email us with the page URL and a description of the barrier. We will aim to provide the same information in an alternative format — typically plain text or a tagged PDF — within five business days.
11. Testing and Review
Our accessibility approach combines:
- Automated testing — Axe, WAVE, and Lighthouse accessibility audits run on representative pages
- Manual screen-reader testing — NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS/iOS, focused on navigation, headings, link purpose, and form labels
- Keyboard-only walkthroughs on every new page template
- Zoom and magnification testing at 100% / 150% / 200% / 400%
- Color-contrast checking against WCAG 2.1 AA thresholds
- Reduced-motion check with prefers-reduced-motion enabled
- Quarterly review of representative pages alongside the editorial review
12. Reporting an Accessibility Issue
Please email info@appraisaldistrict.org with subject line “Accessibility issue.”
To help us fix the issue quickly, please include:
- The URL of the page where you encountered the problem
- A short description of what happened and what you expected
- The browser, version, operating system, and any assistive technology you were using (if you know)
We acknowledge accessibility reports within one to three business days and prioritize fixes ahead of routine editorial work.
13. External Escalation
If you believe we have not addressed an accessibility concern adequately, you can also raise it with U.S. authorities responsible for disability-rights enforcement:
| Body | Scope | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Justice — Civil Rights Division | ADA complaints, including web accessibility issues | ada.gov |
| Texas Workforce Commission — Civil Rights Division | State-level discrimination complaints | twc.texas.gov/programs/civil-rights |
| U.S. Access Board | Section 508 and accessible design guidance | access-board.gov |
14. Standards References
- WCAG 2.1 quick reference: w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref
- ADA homepage: ada.gov
- Section 508: section508.gov
- U.S. Access Board: access-board.gov
- Texas Government Code Chapter 2054 (state agency accessibility): statutes.capitol.texas.gov
Tell Us If Something Isn’t Accessible
Accessibility reports are our priority queue. We acknowledge within one to three business days and fix ahead of routine editorial work.
📧 info@appraisaldistrict.org