Accessibility resources on ms.gov: What families of people at Winston Choctaw Facility should know

Mississippi says ms.gov is built around inclusion and universal access across the state's services and programs. For families of people at Winston Choctaw Facility, that matters. ms.gov is often your starting point when you need official information, forms, or directions for a next step.

ms.gov also states that every visitor has the right to get information and services independently and conveniently. If you rely on assistive technology, that's a useful benchmark to keep in mind as you navigate the site, and it gives you something concrete to point to when something isn't working.

ms.gov says its pages have been tested with popular screen readers. That's a good sign, but testing doesn't guarantee every page will work perfectly for every person. Different devices, browsers, and settings can all introduce issues.

If you hit an accessibility barrier after clicking a link from ms.gov, the guidance is to contact the organization responsible for the linked website. The reason is straightforward: ms.gov does not control external pages or their content, even when ms.gov is where you found the link.

• ✓ The exact page you were trying to use (copy the link text or write down the address as best you can)
• ✓ The name of the page or section (the heading you see at the top)
• ✓ What you were trying to do (read a policy, download a form, complete a search)
• ✓ What went wrong (for example, content not read by your screen reader, a button that cannot be reached by keyboard)
• ✓ The assistive technology you were using (screen reader name) and the browser you used
• ✓ A short description of what would make it usable for you (for example, labeled buttons, accessible PDF, readable tables)

1. Start on ms.gov, then capture the details. If a page is hard to use, note the page name and any link you clicked, since ms.gov pages are tested with popular screen readers but the experience can change once you leave the site.
2. Try a quick workaround. Open the same page in another browser, or adjust your screen reader settings, since small changes can affect how content is announced.
3. Confirm whether you are still on ms.gov. If you clicked to an external website, accessibility can vary because the linked site may not be created or maintained by ms.gov.
4. Document the barrier. Write down what you expected to happen versus what happened, and the exact step where you got stuck.
5. Contact the external site owner. For an issue on a linked website, ms.gov’s guidance is to reach out to the organization responsible for that site.

Think about where the control actually lives. ms.gov says it is working toward accessibility and tests pages with popular screen readers, but it also links to many external websites that may not be accessible and are outside its control. Those links can be removed or replaced at any time without notice, so a page you used before might move or disappear. If you're trying to find information connected to Winston Choctaw Facility and you hit a dead end after leaving ms.gov, the practical next step is to treat it as an external-site problem and contact the organization responsible for that linked page.