Our commitment
Accessibility
We want every student, family member, educator, and judge to take part fully — on this website and at the tournament. This page explains how we’ve built these resources for accessibility and how to request an accommodation.
Our standard
These web resources are designed to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA.
These pages are in active development. If you encounter a barrier — on the site or in our documents — please tell us (see below) so we can correct it quickly.
How we’ve built these pages
Accessibility features included throughout this site:
- Logical structure: a single main heading per page, properly nested headings, and meaningful page regions (header, navigation, main content, footer) for screen-reader navigation.
- Skip link: a “Skip to main content” link at the top of every page for keyboard users.
- Keyboard access: all links and controls are reachable and operable with a keyboard, with a visible focus outline.
- Readable color contrast: text and interface colors are chosen to meet or exceed the WCAG AA contrast ratios.
- Descriptive links: link text makes sense on its own (no bare “click here”).
- Accessible tables: data tables use captions and proper row/column headers.
- Responsive, zoomable text: pages reflow for small screens and remain usable when text is enlarged.
- Respects motion preferences: the site honors the “reduce motion” setting and avoids unnecessary animation.
- Print-friendly: pages print cleanly for anyone who prefers paper.
- Plain language: content is written for newcomers, with a Glossary for specialized terms.
Accommodations at the tournament
We welcome participants, families, and judges with disabilities. Accommodations we can arrange include:
- Wheelchair-accessible chambers, seating, and routes.
- Materials in alternate formats (large print, digital, or plain-text).
- Dietary accommodations for the provided lunch.
Note your request during registration on SpeechWire, and/or contact the organizers directly: email Professor Candy Brown at [email protected] or text 812-269-2710. Please make requests as early as possible so that we can honor requests to the fullest extent possible.
Indiana University Bloomington students, staff, and faculty can also work with IU Bloomington Accessible Educational Services for access questions. Teachers and parents are encouraged to work with their own schools’ accessibility offices as well.
Sources & credits
For transparency, here is where the content on these pages comes from:
- Format & rules: adapted and simplified for novices from the published Congressional Debate guidelines of the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) and the Indiana Schools Speech and Debate Association (ISSDA).
- Sample legislation: written originally for this tournament. Each bill notes the founding-era source or constitutional provision it draws on, and several reference landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases, named in the bill’s “founding anchor.”
- Founding references: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the U.S. Constitution (1787), and the Bill of Rights (1791), which are in the public domain.
- Logos: the America 250 (IU Bloomington), College of Arts + Sciences, and Walter Center for Career Achievement marks are used courtesy of Indiana University.
- Accessibility approach: the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA.
Tell us about a barrier
If any part of this site or its documents is difficult to use, or if you’d like content in a different format, please let us know — email Professor Candy Brown at [email protected] or text 812-269-2710. When you write, it helps to include the page or document, what you were trying to do, and the device or assistive technology you were using.
Related: the FAQ answers common family questions, and the Schedule describes the flow of the day, including breaks.