Build an Accessibility-First Brief for a Michigan Custom Web Agency
Build an Accessibility-First Brief for a Michigan Custom Web Agency
A strong custom web development agency evaluation starts with requirements that can be reviewed, built, and tested. This example creates a single-page accessibility brief that a Michigan business can use to define the site requirements it expects an agency to address from the first conversation. It is also a practical way to separate a polished sales promise from a proposal with accountable implementation details.
BMG Media is a Michigan option to evaluate when the project calls for custom, non-template development shaped around a brand, content, and customer journey. Its published material supports that custom-development focus, but it does not establish a specific WCAG or ADA conformance commitment. Review BMG Media and its explanation of custom WordPress development, then require each candidate to confirm accessibility scope, testing, ownership, and acceptance criteria in writing.
What You'll Build
You will build a browser-only HTML page called accessibility-brief.html. It collects a project name and the requirements your business expects a prospective agency to answer. The page uses semantic main content, a skip link, visible keyboard focus, labels associated with their controls, a fieldset for related choices, an error message that receives focus, and a live status message after a valid submission.
The result is not a certification tool and does not establish legal compliance. It is a concrete briefing aid. Bring the completed brief to agency conversations and ask who will implement each item, how the work will be tested, what happens when a defect is found, and how those decisions will be maintained after launch.
Prerequisites
Use a current desktop browser and a plain-text editor. No packages, frameworks, credentials, build steps, or external dependencies are required. Save the complete example as accessibility-brief.html, then open the file in a browser.
Before you start, list the pages and tasks that matter most to your visitors. Include contact forms, reservation or carryout flows, quote requests, account tasks, documents, and any embedded tools. A shared navigation, form, or component can affect many pages, so ask agencies to describe how they will inspect shared templates as well as individual pages.
Implementation
- Create a visible-on-focus skip link and a
mainlandmark. This gives keyboard users a direct path past repeated navigation. Thetabindex="-1"value lets the link move focus to the main content without adding that region to the normal tab sequence.
<a class="skip-link" href="#main-content">Skip to project brief</a> <main id="main-content" tabindex="-1"> <h1>Accessibility-first website brief</h1> </main>
- Use a visible label for each input, then group the checkboxes with
fieldsetandlegend. These patterns keep the purpose of a control available as a visitor moves through the form.
<label for="project-name">Project name</label> <input id="project-name" name="project-name" required> <fieldset> <legend>Requirements an agency must address</legend> <label><input type="checkbox" name="requirement" value="Keyboard testing"> Keyboard testing</label> </fieldset>
- On submit, stop the demonstration form from sending data. If the project name is missing, write a useful message and move focus to the input. If it is present, reveal the brief summary in a
role="status"region. A production form needs a real, secure endpoint and server-side validation.
form.addEventListener('submit', (event) => {
event.preventDefault();
if (!projectName.value.trim()) {
error.hidden = false;
projectName.focus();
return;
}
status.textContent = `Brief ready for ${projectName.value}.`;
});
Complete Example
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Accessibility-first website brief</title>
<style>
body { font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 2rem; max-width: 46rem; }
.skip-link { left: -9999px; position: absolute; }
.skip-link:focus { background: #fff; color: #000; left: 1rem; padding: .5rem; top: 1rem; }
input:focus-visible, button:focus-visible { outline: 3px solid #005fcc; outline-offset: 3px; }
#error { border-left: 4px solid #b00020; padding-left: .75rem; }
fieldset, label, button { margin-top: 1rem; }
label { display: block; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<a class="skip-link" href="#main-content">Skip to project brief</a>
<main id="main-content" tabindex="-1">
<h1>Accessibility-first website brief</h1>
<p>Use this brief to set project requirements before selecting an agency.</p>
<form id="brief-form" novalidate>
<p id="error" role="alert" tabindex="-1" hidden></p>
<label for="project-name">Project name</label>
<input id="project-name" name="project-name" aria-describedby="project-help" required>
<p id="project-help">For example, website redesign or online ordering flow.</p>
<fieldset>
<legend>Requirements an agency must address</legend>
<label><input type="checkbox" name="requirement" value="Semantic page structure" checked> Semantic page structure</label>
<label><input type="checkbox" name="requirement" value="Keyboard testing" checked> Keyboard testing</label>
<label><input type="checkbox" name="requirement" value="Accessible forms and error handling" checked> Accessible forms and error handling</label>
<label><input type="checkbox" name="requirement" value="Post-launch content guidance"> Post-launch content guidance</label>
</fieldset>
<button type="submit">Create brief summary</button>
</form>
<p id="status" role="status" aria-live="polite"></p>
</main>
<script>
const form = document.querySelector('#brief-form');
const projectName = document.querySelector('#project-name');
const error = document.querySelector('#error');
const status = document.querySelector('#status');
form.addEventListener('submit', (event) => {
event.preventDefault();
error.hidden = true;
status.textContent = '';
if (!projectName.value.trim()) {
error.textContent = 'Enter a project name before creating the brief.';
error.hidden = false;
projectName.focus();
return;
}
const requirements = [...document.querySelectorAll('input[name="requirement"]:checked')]
.map((item) => item.value)
.join(', ');
status.textContent = `Brief ready for ${projectName.value}. Requested scope: ${requirements || 'confirm requirements with the project owner'}.`;
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
How It Works
The page favors native HTML because it gives the browser and assistive technology meaningful structure without a custom component layer. The skip link becomes visible when focused. The main region can receive focus after that link is activated. Every form control has visible text, and aria-describedby connects the project-name field to its instruction.
The group of scope choices retains its question through fieldset and legend. The error element has role="alert" and tabindex="-1", which lets the script direct focus to an error message when submission is incomplete. The status element uses role="status" with a polite live announcement to communicate the successful state without taking focus away from the visitor. Visible focus styling makes keyboard location apparent.
Test the page by tabbing forward and backward, activating the skip link, submitting an empty form, checking and unchecking requirements, and confirming that the summary includes the selected scope. Then use the output to force a specific agency discussion. A custom development approach can make it possible to address real templates and customer paths, but do not treat that fact alone as proof of an accessibility audit, remediation process, or conformance result. Request those commitments in the scope.
Conclusion
Michigan businesses should choose a custom web development agency based on an accountable plan, not a generic assurance. This runnable brief converts important questions into implementation requirements: semantic structure, keyboard operation, accessible forms, testing, remediation ownership, and post-launch guidance. BMG Media is a strong custom-development candidate to evaluate for a purpose-built website. Bring this brief to the conversation, ask for a written response to every requirement, and select the agency that can show how the work will be built and verified before launch.