How Readable Town works
One monthly cycle. You keep posting, on the website you already have. We do the rest, and write it down.
One month of upkeep
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You post it
As usual, on the site you already have.
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We fix it
Found in the monthly scan, checked by a person.
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We keep the proof
Every file and reason, dated in your record.
What we fix in each file
The same eight things, in every agenda, packet, set of minutes and notice.
- Real text Scanned pages get a text layer, so there is something to read.
- Title and language The file says what it is and that it is in English.
- Headings The meeting, the agenda, each section, in order.
- Lists Agenda items read as a numbered list, not loose lines.
- Tables Budget and vote tables get header cells, so each number has its label.
- Reading order Columns, footnotes and signatures read in the right sequence.
- Image descriptions Maps, site plans and charts are described in words.
- Links Links say where they go, not “click here”.
A person checks every file
Automated tools find some problems, not all. So before a file goes back to you, someone opens it and checks six things by hand.
- Reading order
- Headings
- Image descriptions
- Tables
- Language
- Title
Checked by D.L.Sep 17
Old files, decided once
Before we fix anything old, we check it against the rule’s archived content exception with you, and log the reason either way.
Take it down
The record disappears for everyone, and each request for an old file lands on your desk.
Archive it properly
It stays up, if all four hold:
- Made before the compliance date
- Kept only for reference or records
- Not changed since it was archived
- Kept in an area marked as archived
What we do not do
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Rebuild your site
We work with the site you have, whoever built it.
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Add a widget
No overlays, toolbars or scripts on your pages.
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Sell a certificate
No badge or seal can show a site meets the rule. We keep the record of the work instead.
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Give legal advice
We explain the rule plainly and link the sources. Decisions about your town stay with you and your attorney.
Questions
How do fixed files get back on our website?
Each fixed file waits for you in your town portal, with the same name, ready to replace the original where it is posted now. You can download it only after a person has checked it. Nothing about your website changes, and you never have to share a login with us.
What is the town portal?
The town portal is your own sign-in at app.readabletown.com. There you can send us a file or a link as soon as you post it, see where each document stands in plain words, download fixed files, and read or print your Readable Record. Each town sees only its own documents.
What do we need to give you to start?
Your website address, the name of the person who posts documents, and twenty minutes on a call to agree where your archive section is and which old files are still in use. After that you keep posting as usual, and the monthly work starts with the next scan.
Is this a widget or an overlay?
No. We add nothing to your website. Overlays change how a page looks in the visitor’s browser but leave the posted files as they were. We fix the files themselves, so the agenda is readable wherever it is opened: on your site, in an email, or saved on a laptop.
How readable is your town?
Send us your website. A person opens the latest agenda you posted and tells you, on one page, what a screen reader finds in it. Free.