Sledgehammer Infosystems
Smashing through your information & communication problems since 2021
Sledgehammer Infosystems worked with the American Council of the Blind of Indiana to develop a new website that prioritizes accessibility for screen reader users. Launched in January 2024, the project aimed to improve usability, simplify content management, and support membership applications and event registrations.
The client's previous website was functional but lacked the support and flexibility they needed. Additionally, search engine visibility was an issue, making it harder for new members to find them.
To address these challenges, we built a structured, easy-to-maintain static site where content updates are handled on their behalf, ensuring consistency and proper formatting.
The project began with a simple, clean layout and sample pages for approval. After refining the structure, we migrated content from their old site and iterated on accessibility testing with real screen reader users.
Unlike many sites that attempt to "retrofit" accessibility, this site was built from the ground up using properly structured semantic HTML. The navigation is enhanced with ARIA tags to improve usability for screen reader users.
The biggest challenge was ensuring compatibility with different screen readers, which required extensive testing and feedback from users within the organization.
SEO was another area of improvement, with optimizations made to enhance visibility and ranking for relevant searches.
The American Council of the Blind of Indiana now has a fast, accessible, and easy-to-maintain website that better serves its members.
They've appreciated the site's improved usability, our responsiveness to updates, and the overall flexibility of the new platform. While Square's hosted payment pages remain an accessibility challenge, the rest of the site delivers a streamlined experience tailored to their needs.