This CENERS-K accessibility audit and WCAG 2.2 AA remediation covered the website of a Kolkata research think-tank that studies geopolitics, security and development across South Asia, the Indo-Pacific and India’s eastern regions.
A research and think-tank site carries knowledge-heavy tasks: reading reports and blogs, browsing the CJGA Journal, following events and joining as a member — all through content and forms. For a visitor using a screen reader or a keyboard, the accessibility of those pages decides whether they can read the research and take part independently.
Table of Contents
Why accessibility matters for a research think-tank
A research institution’s website is a place of knowledge for scholars, students, policy readers and the public — and some of those readers have a disability. In India the WCAG 2.2 Level AA standard, together with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites, sets the bar; and many international readers and funders expect Section 508 conformance too. For CENERS-K the stakes are simple: a report or a form that a screen-reader or keyboard user cannot use shuts a reader out of the very research the think-tank exists to share.
Scope and standard
Our CENERS-K accessibility audit assessed the site against WCAG 2.2 Level AA across the journeys that matter: research reports and blogs, the CJGA Journal, event and region pages, membership and contact forms, and the main navigation and search.
How we ran the CENERS-K accessibility audit
- Screen-reader testing with JAWS and NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and TalkBack on Android
- Automated audits with Deque axe, Google Lighthouse and WAVE
- Keyboard-only operation of every step, with attention to focus order and a clearly visible focus indicator
- Colour-contrast analysis, plus 400% zoom and reflow testing for low-vision users
What accessibility means on each part of the site
Because CENERS-K is built around research and membership, our CENERS-K accessibility audit focused on the parts a reader relies on:
- Reports, blogs and the CJGA Journal must be real text with a correct heading order, so long research reads well with a screen reader.
- Membership and contact forms need programmatic labels, clear instructions and announced errors, so joining never depends on sight or a mouse.
- Region maps and report images need meaningful text alternatives, so their meaning is not lost for blind users.
- Navigation, search and events need visible focus, sufficient contrast and clean reflow at high zoom.
Outcome
This CENERS-K accessibility audit, combining manual and automated testing with remediation, brought the site into line with WCAG 2.2 AA expectations, so people using a screen reader or a keyboard can read the research and take part without barriers. Every fix was verified with assistive technology rather than assumed from an automated pass, so the result holds up in real use — while keeping the think-tank’s deep-blue brand design.