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Accessibility

Effective Date: April 28, 2026
Last Updated: April 28, 2026

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY
LIFT-VA is built on the belief that access to life sciences education and career opportunity should be available to everyone — regardless of background, ability, or circumstance. That commitment extends to every dimension of our program, including this website.

 

We are committed to ensuring that the LIFT-VA website is accessible to all visitors, including people with disabilities. We strive to meet or exceed the standards set forth in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, as developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

 

WHAT WE ARE DOING
We are actively working to ensure our website is usable by the widest possible audience. Our accessibility efforts include:

 

Perceivable Content

  • Providing text alternatives for all non-text content, including images, icons, and graphics

  • Ensuring that video and multimedia content includes captions or transcripts where applicable

  • Designing content with sufficient color contrast between text and background

  • Avoiding content that relies solely on color to convey meaning

 

Operable Navigation

  • Ensuring all website functionality is accessible via keyboard navigation, without requiring a mouse

  • Providing clear, consistent navigation throughout the site

  • Including skip navigation links to allow users to bypass repetitive content

  • Ensuring that no content flashes or moves in a way that could trigger seizures or vestibular disorders

 

Understandable Content

  • Writing content in plain, clear language appropriate for our diverse audiences — students, parents, educators, and employers

  • Providing clear labels and instructions for all form fields, including our application forms

  • Ensuring error messages are descriptive and guide users toward correction

 

Robust Compatibility

  • Building the site to be compatible with current assistive technologies, including screen readers, voice recognition software, and magnification tools

  • Using valid, semantic HTML to support assistive technology interpretation

  • Testing across multiple browsers and devices, including mobile


APPLICATION FORM ACCESSIBILITY
We recognize that our application forms — for Instructors, College Students, Secondary Students, and Partners/Employers — are critical access points for program participation. We are committed to ensuring that:

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  • All form fields are clearly labeled and navigable by keyboard and screen reader

  • Required fields are clearly identified and error messages are specific and actionable

  • Dropdown menus and selection fields are operable without a mouse

  • Form time limits, if any, include options to extend

  • Confirmation messages are accessible upon successful submission

 

If you experience any difficulty completing an application due to an accessibility barrier, please contact us immediately. We will provide an alternative means of submission.

 

KNOWN LIMITATIONS
While we are committed to full accessibility, we recognize that some content on our website may not yet meet all WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. We are actively working to identify and resolve these gaps. Areas of ongoing improvement may include:

 

  • Third-party embedded content such as maps or external forms

  • Legacy PDF documents that have not yet been fully remediated

  • Video content that may not yet include complete captions or audio descriptions

 

We prioritize accessibility improvements based on their impact on users and will continue to address these areas as resources allow.

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ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMPATIBILITY
The LIFT-VA website is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:

 

  • Screen readers including JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver

  • Keyboard-only navigation

  • Browser zoom and text resize up to 200% without loss of content or functionality

  • High contrast mode

  • Voice recognition software including Dragon NaturallySpeaking

 

If you encounter compatibility issues with a specific assistive technology, please let us know so we can work to resolve them.

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LANGUAGE ACCESS
LIFT-VA serves students and families from diverse linguistic backgrounds across Northern Virginia. We are committed to making program information available in multiple languages as our capacity grows. If you require program information or application assistance in a language other than English, please contact us and we will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your request.

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FEEDBACK AND ACCESSIBILITY SUPPORT 
We welcome feedback on the accessibility of the LIFT-VA website. If you encounter a barrier, find that a page or feature is not working as expected with your assistive technology, or need content in an alternative format, please reach out to us. Your feedback directly informs our accessibility improvements.


To report an accessibility issue or request an accommodation:

 

Sonora Jackson
VP Communications & Outreach

LIFT-VA / Athari BioSciences / GEMS
sjackson@athari.bio
703.982.0492
45925 Horseshoe Drive, Suite 170

Sterling, VA 20166


We aim to respond to all accessibility-related communications within 2 business days.

 

THIRD-PARTY CONTENT
Some content on the LIFT-VA website is provided by or embedded from third-party sources, including partner organization websites, mapping services, and video platforms. While we encourage our third-party partners to maintain accessible content, we cannot fully control or guarantee the accessibility of external content. We will make reasonable efforts to provide accessible alternatives where third-party content falls short.

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ONGOING COMMITMENT
Accessibility is not a one-time project, it is an ongoing practice. LIFT-VA is committed to:

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  • Conducting regular accessibility audits of our website and application forms

  • Training our web team and content contributors on accessibility best practices

  • Incorporating accessibility review into our process for all new content and features

  • Staying current with evolving accessibility standards and guidelines

 

We believe that an accessible website is a more useful, more equitable, and more effective website for everyone.

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This Accessibility Statement was prepared in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and reflects our current accessibility posture as of the date above.

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