CAOS Accessibility Policy

Purpose

CAOS exists to make open-source technology more accessible and disability-inclusive. That mission starts at home. This policy defines how we approach accessibility across everything we do — not as a compliance exercise, but as a practical expression of who we are.

Scope

This policy applies to all CAOS activities, including, but not limited to:

  • Digital infrastructure (websites, apps, documents, communications)
  • Physical spaces and events
  • Governance processes and materials
  • Programs and services
  • Partnerships and contracts
  • Purchasing, procurement, and adoption

If CAOS is doing it, this policy applies to it.

Policy Statement

We are a disability-led organization and we act like it

CAOS is led by and for people with disabilities, with our individual and organizational effectiveness immediately impacted if accessibility falls short. We are eating our own accessibility dog food. CAOS accessibility practices are not aspirational window dressing, but practical necessity that allows us to do our jobs and fulfill our mission.

Meaningful accessibility, not checkbox accessibility

Our standard is accessibility that demonstrably improves the experience of people with disabilities. We are not interested in meeting technical requirements that lead to unusable experiences. The test is not “does it pass the scanner” — the test is “can we actually use it effectively.”

Accessibility is a process, not a destination

We will never declare victory and move on. Accessibility standards evolve, our community grows, our understanding deepens, and the technology changes. We commit to ongoing iteration and improvement — not a one-time effort.

High standards should never stall progress

We hold ourselves to a high bar. At the same time, we recognize that the perfect can often be the enemy of the good, and that waiting for perfect accessibility may result in denial of substantial benefit to many. We balance accessibility requirements against community benefit and act. When we have gaps, we acknowledge them openly, document them, and commit to a timeline for addressing them. We do not hide gaps or pretend they do not exist.

We plan ahead

Any significant new project, program, event, or digital property — and any significant change to an existing one — requires an accessibility review before launch or implementation. This is not bureaucracy for its own sake. It is how we shift left — catching problems early, when they are easy to fix, rather than late, when they are expensive and embarrassing.

We are committed, but pragmatic

CAOS is a small organization with limited time, money, and staff. Accessibility decisions must sometimes be made in the context of resource constraints. We will make principled, documented decisions about how to allocate accessibility effort, prioritizing high-impact, high-return work while phasing in improvements where deep-and-wide accessibility may not be immediately feasible. We will always be honest about tradeoffs we are making.

Responsibilities

Board of Directors

  • Adopt and maintain this policy
  • Ensure accessibility is reflected in organizational budgeting and strategic planning
  • Hold CAOS leadership accountable for accessibility outcomes

Executive Director / Board President

  • Champion accessibility as an organizational value, not just a compliance task
  • Ensure new programs and partnerships include accessibility review as a standard step
  • Escalate significant accessibility gaps to the Board with a remediation plan

Staff and Volunteers

  • Apply accessibility standards to their own work — documents, communications, events, and any digital output
  • Flag accessibility concerns when they arise rather than letting them accumulate
  • Participate in accessibility training as offered or required

Accessibility Reviewer (designated per project)

  • Conduct or coordinate accessibility reviews for new or significantly changed projects
  • Document findings and recommended remediation
  • Track open gaps and progress toward resolution

Everyone

Accessibility is everybody’s business at CAOS. When in doubt, ask. When you spot a problem, say so.

Procedures

Accessibility Review Process

Any significant new project or material change to an existing project triggers an accessibility review. “Significant” means a new program, website, event, document template, or any change that substantially affects how people interact with something CAOS produces.

The review should address:

  1. Who is the audience and what assistive technologies or access needs are relevant?
  2. **What are the applicable standards or requirements ** (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA for web content, plain language standards for documents, physical accessibility requirements for events)?
  3. What gaps exist, and are they blockers or manageable with a documented remediation plan?
  4. What is the remediation timeline for any gaps identified?

Reviews do not need to be formal or lengthy. A quick checklist and a documented conversation is enough for low-stakes work. High-stakes or public-facing projects warrant a more formal review.

Documenting Gaps

When we launch something with known accessibility gaps, we document:

  • What the gaps are
  • Why we launched with known accessibility gaps
  • Who it affects and how
  • What the planned remediation is
  • When we expect to address it

This documentation goes into the project record. It is not an admission of failure — it is how an honest, accountable organization operates.

Reporting Accessibility Problems

Anyone — staff, volunteer, community member, or member of the public — can report an accessibility problem by contacting CAOS at accessibility@caos.org. Reports will be acknowledged within five business days and addressed according to their severity and our available resources.

Accessibility in Procurement and Partnerships

When CAOS purchases software, contracts services, or enters partnerships that involve digital or physical interaction with our community, accessibility requirements are always included in our evaluation criteria. Products that are tangibly inaccessible are not an option. We do not contractually require perfection, but we do require a credible commitment to accessibility and a roadmap for improvement.

Events

All CAOS events — virtual and in-person — should include:

  • Advance notice of accessibility features and how to request accommodations
  • A point of contact for accessibility questions before and during the event
  • Captions for events (automated at minimum; live human captioning as needed for high-stakes events)
  • Accessible materials distributed in advance where possible
  • A post-event process for collecting accessibility feedback

Revision History

Version Date Summary
0.1 2026-06-29 Initial draft