A Core City initiative · Detroit
Public infrastructure should work for everyone.
A website is infrastructure now — it’s how a resident pays a bill, pulls a permit, finds a meeting. So we started auditing the digital infrastructure Detroit runs on, and measuring it against the 2027 federal accessibility standard. We’re going beyond.
Why we started
If a neighbor can’t use it, it’s broken.
When a resident who’s blind or low-vision can’t pay their water bill online, or someone navigating by keyboard can’t get through a permit form, the service isn’t just inconvenient — it’s closed to them. That’s a public institution leaving people out. As of 2024, it’s also against federal law: the DOJ requires public websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 26, 2027.
We’re a Detroit studio. We decided to stop waiting for someone else to look — and start measuring, honestly, where things stand.
Where it stands so far.
We’ve quietly run accessibility scans across the public bodies Detroiters rely on — water, transit, libraries, colleges, city services. Each one gets a private report and a path to fix it. We don’t publish names to embarrass anyone; we share the findings with the people who can act on them.
Going beyond
This is where we start, not where we stop.
Beyond one city
Every public body in Michigan faces the same deadline — cities, counties, transit, water, libraries, colleges. We’re extending the audit across the state, Detroit first.
Beyond accessibility
Access is the floor, not the ceiling. The real goal is civic digital experience that’s clear, fast, and treats residents with dignity — government that feels built for you.
Beyond a one-time fix
Compliance isn’t a date you pass; it’s a standard you hold. We stay on as the local team that keeps these systems working long after launch.
What we believe
- Public infrastructure should work for the public — all of it.
- A website is a service, not a brochure.
- Access isn’t a feature. It’s the baseline.
- Fix what’s there before rebuilding what isn’t broken.
- Stay local. Stay accountable. Answer the phone.
Run a public body? Or care about one?
We’ll show you exactly where your site stands against the 2027 standard — a free scan, no obligation — and what it takes to make it work for everyone.