The Internet is a powerful tool for sharing information, making social connections, and recreation.  But in their current form, the vast majority of websites are largely inaccessible to many people who lack the technical skills, background knowledge, English reading abilities, or intellectual processing capacity to navigate complex sites from section to section, page to page, link to link. 

Scroll up, scroll down, scroll left, scroll right.  I can’t keep track!
And how did I end up on this page? 
And how do I get back to where I was? 
I saw a really good page yesterday, but now I can’t find it!

The digital divide is not just about access to computer hardware and Internet connections – it is also about access to the content in the formats in which information is most often presented.  Navigating most websites requires high level reading skills, a knowledge of web conventions, a powerful memory, background knowledge about the topics being investigated, and a great deal of patience and confidence.

TheArcLink seeks to change all that.  We promote straightforward, gimmick-free presentation of needed information or compelling stories.  Our sites are accessible via screen readers, but more than that, they use plain language, often backed up by audio and video versions of the written text.  We provide simple navigation tools, high contrast, legible page formats, and plenty of “how to” information.  Most of our projects are designed by teams that include people with and without disabilities, and with varying levels of technical expertise and knowledge of the subject matter.