Loudoun Coalition On Women And Girls (LCWAG)

Website Accessibility Policy

Last Updated: August 2026 | Effective: July 1, 2026

 

 

Organization: Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls (LCWAG)

Type: Virginia Nonstock Corporation | 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

Website: https://www.lcwag.org

Email: contact@lcwag.org

Address: 20700 Loudoun County Parkway, Ashburn, VA 20147

Standard Adopted: WCAG 2.1, Level AA

Next Scheduled Review: August 2027

Owner: Lisa McGrail, CNP – Executive Director, LCWAG

Version: 1.1

 

1.  Purpose

The Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls (“LCWAG,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to making its website and digital content usable by the widest possible range of visitors, including people with disabilities. This policy sets out the accessibility standard LCWAG has adopted for its website, describes what is and is not currently covered, and explains how visitors can report an accessibility barrier or request content in an alternative format. This Website Accessibility Policy should be read together with LCWAG’s Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Terms of Use.

2.  Accessibility Standard

LCWAG has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), as the technical benchmark for its website. WCAG 2.1 AA addresses accessibility for people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning and neurological disabilities and is the standard most commonly referenced by U.S. courts, the Department of Justice and web accessibility consultants when assessing whether a website is accessible.

3.  Scope

This policy applies to:

  • Website pages published at https://www.lcwag.org
  • Documents and PDFs posted to the Site, subject to the limitation described in Section 5
  • Online forms hosted on or embedded in the Site
  • Third-party or embedded content, such as donation, volunteer and subscription forms, to the extent it is under LCWAG’s editorial control

Content hosted on third-party platforms that LCWAG does not control, including payment processors, external form providers, email subscription services and embedded media, is governed by those providers’ own accessibility policies. LCWAG will select and configure such tools with accessibility in mind where practicable. The collection and handling of personal information by LCWAG and third-party services are addressed in LCWAG’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

4.  Legal and Regulatory Context

Nonprofit organizations that operate a public-facing website may fall within Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination by places of public accommodation. Title III does not itself specify a technical web standard, but WCAG 2.1 Level AA has become the de facto benchmark used in ADA Title III litigation and settlements.

Separately, the Department of Justice finalized a rule in 2024 requiring state and local government entities to make their web content and mobile apps conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with compliance dates extended to April 26, 2027 for entities serving 50,000 or more people and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts.

LCWAG is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, not a state or local government entity, so this rule does not directly apply to LCWAG. LCWAG references it because it reflects the direction of federal accessibility standards generally and because WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard LCWAG has chosen to follow voluntarily.

At the state level, Virginia’s Information Technology Access Act, substantially updated by House Bill 2541 in 2025, requires accessible information and communications technology (ICT) from state agencies, public colleges and universities and their vendors, with phased compliance dates in 2026 and 2027. This Act governs public-sector entities and covered state procurement; it does not itself impose obligations on LCWAG as a private nonprofit.

LCWAG notes it as regional context and because LCWAG may work with government or education partners who are themselves subject to it.

This section is provided for general background only and is not legal advice. Web accessibility law is an active and evolving area. LCWAG recommends that this policy and LCWAG’s actual level of conformance be periodically reviewed by legal counsel.

5.  Known Limitation: Documents and PDFs

As of the effective date of this policy, documents and PDFs posted to the LCWAG website have not been audited or remediated for WCAG 2.1 AA conformance. LCWAG is disclosing this gap transparently rather than representing full conformance it has not yet verified. LCWAG intends to address document and PDF accessibility in a future phase of this policy’s implementation.

Until that remediation work is complete, any visitor who is unable to access a specific document or PDF on the LCWAG website may contact LCWAG using the procedure in Section 7 to request the content in an alternative accessible format.

6.  Roles and Responsibilities

Executive Director. Lisa McGrail, CNP, Executive Director, holds overall responsibility for this policy, including approving updates and ensuring LCWAG allocates reasonable resources toward accessibility.

Website vendor, hosting and platform. LCWAG’s website is hosted through HostGator and is developed and maintained in partnership with its web vendor using WordPress and the Avada/ThemeFusion theme. New pages, templates and features should be evaluated for WCAG 2.1 AA conformance, including color contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text, heading structure, form labels and captions where applicable, before they are published. Third-party tools and embedded content should be selected and configured with accessibility and privacy in mind where practicable.

Staff and volunteer content contributors. Anyone who publishes content to the Site, including blog posts, event listings, images and forms, is expected to follow basic accessible-content practices, such as providing descriptive alt text for images and using descriptive link text rather than “click here.”

7.  Feedback and Accessibility Requests

LCWAG welcomes feedback on the accessibility of its website. If you encounter a barrier, cannot access a document or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us at coalitionchair@lcwag.org.

LCWAG aims to acknowledge accessibility feedback within 2 business days, Monday through Friday, and will endeavor to respond to inquiries within 30 business days. Privacy-related requests, including requests concerning personal information, should be submitted in accordance with LCWAG’s Privacy Policy.

8.  Review and Updates

LCWAG will review this policy at least annually and sooner if applicable accessibility standards, the website’s technology, LCWAG’s digital properties or relevant third-party services change materially. When this policy is updated, LCWAG will update the “Last Updated” date. Material changes will be communicated through a prominent notice on the website and, where feasible, by direct email, consistent with LCWAG’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.