Accessibility Audit
Utah Olympic Oval: Making Olympic Excellence Accessible to All
1 | The Strategic Opportunity
The Utah Olympic Oval (the "Fastest Ice on Earth") set 10 Olympic records during the 2002 Winter Games. With the 2034 Olympics approaching, this world-class venue needed to ensure its digital presence matched its physical excellence. But there was a problem: the website was excluding millions of users with disabilities from accessing information about programs, purchasing tickets, or fully experiencing the Olympic legacy.
I found the disconnect between the organization's values (as part of the international Olympic/Paralympic movement and the global call for inclusivity) and the site's digital accessibility compelling. And I saw an opportunity to demonstrate value through a comprehensive accessibility audit, a freelance project that would reveal hidden barriers and (hopefully) influence an entire website rebuild.
My Role: Accessibility Specialist & UX Researcher (Freelance)
Methods: WCAG 2.1 compliance audit, automated testing (WAVE, Axe DevTools), manual evaluation
Duration: 2 weeks
Stakeholders: Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation COO and Marketing Director
Impact: Audit became foundational for the decision to do a complete website rebuild
2 | The Story Behind the Audit
The Catalyst
I was familiar with the UOO site through work in another capacity with the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and had heard rumblings about the need for a website rebuild. Since I'd had extensive training in accessibility and inclusive design through my MS in UX program at Arizona State University, I thought they needed to understand the current state of the site's accessibility before investing significant resources into any such rebuild. I proposed a comprehensive audit to establish a baseline and provide actionable recommendations — turning compliance requirements into a strategic roadmap.
The Human Cost of Inaccessibility
Consider these scenarios:
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A Paralympic athlete trying to find training schedules but unable to navigate with their keyboard
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A veteran with low vision unable to read white text on orange backgrounds (1.97:1 contrast ratio)
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A parent using a screen reader to register their child for skating lessons, encountering images without descriptions
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An elderly resident wanting to attend public skating but confused by color-only link indicators
These weren't edge cases; they represented thousands of potential visitors being excluded from Olympic legacy programs.
3 | The Systematic Discovery Process
Methodology: Beyond Automated Testing
I evaluated three representative pages over two weeks:
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Home Page: First impressions and primary navigation
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Public Skating Page: Program information and schedules
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Memberships/Annual Passes Page: Purchase flows
Using WAVE and Axe DevTools, I identified violations across
the four POUR principles:
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Perceivable: Can users perceive the content?
Operable: Can users operate the interface?
Understandable: Can users understand the information?
Robust: Does it work with assistive technologies?
The Audit Framework
Each violation was assessed for:
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WCAG Criterion: Specific standard violated
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Severity Level: Critical or Moderate impact
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User Impact: Who's affected and how
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Legal Risk: ADA Title III and CVAA compliance
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Remediation Path: Specific fix required
Wireframes
Using Figma, I created wireframes of the 3 key pages and annotated
these wireframes indicating numbered accessibility issues per the
POUR principles and modified WCAG criteria.
4 | Key Findings: 14 Violations
The Numbers Tell a Story: 14 Total Violations
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9 Critical Issues: Blocking essential functionality
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5 Moderate Issues: Degrading the user experience
But numbers alone don't capture the full impact, so let me detail what some of these barriers actually looked like.
Critical Finding 1: Invisible to Screen Readers
The Problem: Multiple images throughout the site lacked alt text, rendering them completely invisible to screen reader users.
The Human Impact:
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Screen reader users hear "image" with no context
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Key information in infographics completely lost
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Promotional content meaningless without descriptions
The Solution: Alternative text must be incorporated into the site code for all non-text content to help people who have difficulty perceiving visual content.
Critical Finding 2: Unreadable Color Constrast
The Problem: The signature orange (#FFA433) used throughout the site created a 1.97:1 contrast ratio with white text—far below the required 4.5:1 minimum. Other areas of the site used color contrast ratios such that it made important information unreadable, even users facing temporary environmental disabilities (e.g. in sunlight).
The Human Impact:
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Users with low vision unable to read CTAs
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Outdoor mobile viewing nearly impossible
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Aging population excluded from key actions
The Solution: A sufficient contrast ratio of at least
4.5:1 must be provided between text and background.
Critical Finding 3: Keyboard Navigation Broken
The Problem: Essential functionality was mouse-only. Keyboard users couldn't reach submenus, focus indicators were missing, and navigation loops trapped users.
The Human Impact:
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Users with motor disabilities unable to navigate
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Power users preferring keyboard shortcuts frustrated
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Assistive technology users blocked from content
The Solution: Ensure that any pointer actions have an equivalent for keyboard only so that everything can be done with a keyboard.
Critical Finding 4: Color-Only State Changes
The Problem: Links relied solely on color change (orange)
to indicate hover/focus states, providing no other visual cue.
The Human Impact:
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Colorblind users (e.g., 8% of males) unable to distinguish
changes in states -
Users with cognitive disabilities may miss important
interaction cues -
Monochrome/high contrast mode users lose functionality
The Solution: Links that merely change color upon hover
must have another visual cue added, such as underlines,
bold or italics.
Critical Finding 5: Video Without Audio Description
The Problem: The Olympic Legacy Foundation promotional
video lacked audio description for visual content.
The Human Impact:
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Blind users missing crucial visual information
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Context and meaning lost without scene descriptions
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Inspirational Olympic moments inaccessible
The Solution: Links that merely change color upon hover
must have another visual cue added, such as underlines,
bold or italics.
Critical Finding 6: Mystery Links and Buttons
The Problem: Social media icons, videos, and generic "EXPLORE" links lacked descriptive link text or context.
The Human Impact:
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Screen reader users hearing "link" with no destination
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Cognitive disabilities users confused by vague labels
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All users unsure where links lead
The Solution: Descriptive names or context for all links must be provided so users with disabilities and using assistive technology can understand what each link will do.
Moderate but Important Issues
Beyond critical violations, I identified other issues that, while moderate, impact the user experience:
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No "Skip to Content" Link: Forcing keyboard users through entire navigation repeatedly
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Auto-rotating Carousel: No pause control for users with cognitive disabilities
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No Search Function: No alternative way to find content
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Pop-up Confusion: Context changes without warning
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Missing Site Map: No overview for users who need structure
5 | Strategic Recommendations
Immediate Fixes (Legal Risk Mitigation)
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Alt Text Implementation: Systematic addition across all images
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Contrast Ratio Fixes: New color palette meeting WCAG standards
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Keyboard Navigation: Complete keyboard operability
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Focus Indicators: Visible focus states throughout
Quick Wins (High Impact, Low Effort)
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Skip Links: Simple addition improving navigation efficiency
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Link Text Enhancement: Descriptive labels for all links
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ARIA Labels: Screen reader compatibility for UI components
Strategic Improvements (Enhanced Experience)
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Search Functionality: Alternative navigation method
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Carousel Controls: User control over motion
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Site Map: Comprehensive content overview
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Consistent Navigation: Predictable interaction patterns
Immediate Fixes (Legal Risk Mitigation)
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Alt Text Implementation: Systematic addition across all images
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Contrast Ratio Fixes: New color palette meeting WCAG standards
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Keyboard Navigation: Complete keyboard operability
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Focus Indicators: Visible focus states throughout
6 | The Business Case: Beyond Compliance
Risk Mitigation
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Legal Compliance: ADA Title III and CVAA requirements
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Lawsuit Prevention: Avoiding costly litigation
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Reputation Protection: Demonstrating inclusive values
Market Expansion
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26% of Adults have some form of disability
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$490 Billion in disposable income (US disability market)
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Aging Population: Growing demographic needing accessibility
Operational Benefits
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Reduced Support Calls: Clearer, more navigable site
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Improved SEO: Accessibility features boost search rankings
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Mobile Performance: Accessibility improvements tend to benefit all mobile users
7 | Reflection: Accessibility as Opportunity
Key Learnings
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Proactive Beats Reactive: Initiating this audit as a freelance project and sharing with stakeholders demonstrated thought leadership and created opportunity
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Visualization Drives Understanding: Annotated wireframes made abstract violations tangible for stakeholders
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Stories Trump Statistics: Connecting violations to real user (human) impacts resonated more than compliance percentages
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Accessibility Benefits Everyone: Many fixes (better contrast, clear labels, keyboard navigation) improve usability for all users (i.e., the "curb-cut effect")
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Documentation Enables Action: Systematic, thorough documentation can become the foundation for organizational change
Tools and Methods
Testing Tools:
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WAVE (WebAIM's Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)
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Axe DevTools (Deque's accessibility testing toolkit)
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Manual keyboard navigation testing
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Color contrast analyzers
Standards & Guidelines:
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WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance
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ADA Title III requirements
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CVAA video accessibility standards
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Section 508 guidelines
8 | Had enough or are you thirsty for more?
View the Accessibility Audit Executive Summary
View the Annotated Homepage Wireframe
View the Annotated Public Skating Wireframe