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Accessibility Statement

Last updated: June 6, 2026

The Orthodox Church is for everyone. Old and young, sighted and blind, those who type easily and those who use a switch or a voice command. Our parish house in Pinellas Park has a ramp at the door and a quiet pew in the back. We want our website, stmichaeltampabay.org, to feel the same way: open, easy to enter, friendly to the person and the device they bring with them.

This page tells you what we have done, what we are still working on, and how to reach us if something on the site gets in your way.

Our Commitment

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, the international standard for accessible web content published by the World Wide Web Consortium. Meeting these guidelines means our pages should be usable by people who are blind or have low vision, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who use a keyboard instead of a mouse, people who use a screen reader, and people who need larger text or higher contrast.

Accessibility is not a one-time project. As we add new pages, new bulletins, and new photos of parish life, we test that the work still meets the standard. When we fall short, we fix it.

What We Have Done

Images and Photos

Every meaningful image on the site, our icons, photos of the parish, illustrations of feast days, has descriptive alternative text so a screen reader can read aloud what the image shows. Decorative images that carry no information are marked so screen readers can skip them quietly.

Keyboard Navigation

The entire site can be used without a mouse. You can move through menus, links, and forms using the Tab key, activate buttons with Enter or Space, and follow links from anywhere on the page. Visible focus indicators show you where you are at all times.

Screen Reader Compatibility

We have built the site with semantic HTML, headings in proper order, lists marked as lists, links that describe where they go, and ARIA labels where they help. We test with NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack so a parishioner using any major screen reader can read the bulletin, find the address, and place a phone call to Fr. Stephen.

Color and Contrast

Our parish colors are warm golds and soft browns inspired by the Archangel Michael icon. We have chosen text and background combinations that meet the WCAG AA contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text. The site does not rely on color alone to convey information.

Text and Layout

Body text can be resized up to 200 percent in your browser without breaking the page. Layouts adapt to mobile phones, tablets, and desktops. Lines are short enough to read comfortably, and paragraphs are broken to ease the eye.

Language

Our content is offered in both English and Ukrainian, with the language of each page properly declared so screen readers pronounce the words correctly. Liturgical terms are explained on first use.

What We Are Still Working On

Honesty is part of hospitality. A few things remain in progress:

  • A small number of older bulletins and PDF flyers are not yet fully tagged for screen readers. We are converting these to HTML.
  • Some photographs from parish events still need richer alt text describing who is present and what is happening.
  • Embedded video, when we add it, will receive captions and a written transcript.

If any of these gaps blocks you from finding what you need, please call. We will read it to you over the phone or send it to you in a format that works.

How to Reach Us

If a page on our site is hard to use, if a link does not work with your screen reader, if a photo lacks a description you need, or if you simply want help finding a service time or a phone number, please contact us. We will respond personally and we will fix what we can.

Fr. Stephen Siniari, Parish Priest Phone: 727-777-4450 Email: st.michael.uoc.pinellas@gmail.com

St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church 9201 60th St, Pinellas Park, FL 33782 stmichaeltampabay.org

We hope to see you on Sunday. Hours and Confession at 9:30 AM, Divine Liturgy at 10:00 AM in Ukrainian and English, coffee and fellowship afterward in the parish hall.