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.
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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
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​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.
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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
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The Problem: Multiple images throughout the site lacked alt text, rendering them completely invisible to screen reader users.
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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
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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.
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Critical Finding 2: Unreadable Color Constrast
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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).
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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.
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Critical Finding 3: Keyboard Navigation Broken
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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
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The Solution: Ensure that any pointer actions have an equivalent for keyboard only so that everything can be done with a keyboard.
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Critical Finding 4: Color-Only State Changes
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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
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The Solution: Links that merely change color upon hover
must have another visual cue added, such as underlines,
bold or italics.
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Critical Finding 5: Video Without Audio Description
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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
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The Solution: Links that merely change color upon hover
must have another visual cue added, such as underlines,
bold or italics.
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Critical Finding 6: Mystery Links and Buttons
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The Problem: Social media icons, videos, and generic "EXPLORE" links lacked descriptive link text or context.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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8 | Had enough or are you thirsty for more?
View the Accessibility Audit Executive Summary
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View the Annotated Homepage Wireframe
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View the Annotated Public Skating Wireframe
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