Rebuilding a disability-rights nonprofit's website into a welcoming, accessible front door
A full website migration for The Arc of the Pikes Peak Region — a Colorado Springs nonprofit defending the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1954. We replaced an aging, low-contrast WordPress site with a fast, accessible, mobile-first platform that finally reflects the organization's 70-year mission.
A 70-year mission held back by a hard-to-read website
The Arc of the Pikes Peak Region has defended the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Colorado Springs since 1954. But the website families saw first did not reflect that legacy — and, for an organization built around accessibility, it was surprisingly hard to read and to use.
The old site was an aging WordPress build whose homepage led with nothing more than the organization's name set in low-contrast gray text over a busy event photo — no clear statement of who The Arc serves or what a family should do first. The primary calls to action were pale, semi-transparent buttons layered on top of that same photo, difficult to read for exactly the audience the organization exists to serve. Only three of the nonprofit's programs surfaced on the homepage, and the programs page still carried a visible typo ("legislation ant the state and federal levels"). Large stretches of empty white space made the site feel unfinished, the footer was plain and offered no clear path to donate or volunteer, and the copyright still read "© 2023" beside a "Developed by WSI" agency tag. The site was English-only — no built-in way for the region's Spanish-speaking families to read it. For a nonprofit whose funding, volunteers, and community trust all begin online, the website undersold everything The Arc stands for.
- Homepage hero was just the organization's name in low-contrast gray text over a busy event photo — no message about who The Arc serves or what to do first
- Primary calls to action were pale, semi-transparent buttons layered over a photo — hard to read, an accessibility problem for a disability-rights organization
- Only three programs surfaced on the homepage, hiding the full breadth of what the nonprofit offers
- A visible typo in the programs copy — "public policy and legislation ant the state and federal levels"
- Large stretches of empty white space between sections made the site feel unfinished
- English-only — no built-in way for the region's Spanish-speaking families to read the site
- Aging WordPress build on a generic agency template — footer still read "© 2023" and "Developed by WSI"
- Plain, unstructured footer with no clear path to donate, volunteer, or find resources
The transformation, side-by-side
Drag the slider to compare the original site with the redesigned version.
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From a hard-to-read WordPress site to a welcoming nonprofit platform
- –Hero was the organization's name in low-contrast gray text over a busy photo — no message or clear next step
- –Pale, semi-transparent buttons layered over the hero photo — hard to read
- –Only three programs shown on the homepage; the rest were buried
- –A visible typo in the live programs copy
- –English-only, with no way for Spanish-speaking families to read the site
- –Empty white space and broken rhythm made the site feel unfinished
- –Plain footer with no clear path to donate, volunteer, or get help
- –Aging WordPress template with a stale "© 2023" and agency tag in the footer
- –No clear, prominent path to the guardianship help families search for
- +Bold, high-contrast hero — "Defending the Rights of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities" — with a clear location and an instant "Need a Guardianship Packet?" action
- +Readable, solid buttons and a prominent Donate call to action in the header
- +Six core programs presented as clear, modern cards with icons and "Learn more" links
- +Corrected, professionally edited copy throughout
- +Built-in translation to Spanish and eight more languages, right in the header
- +A confident, well-paced layout with impact stats — 70+ years, 600+ Arc chapters, 100% free services
- +A structured footer organized by Programs, Get Involved, Resources, and About
- +A modern, fast platform with a current footer and the heritage line "since 1954"
- +An inline contact form and a "Latest Stories" section that keep the community engaged
Every section, deliberately redesigned
From the hero through to the footer, each section was rethought. Not just visually, but structurally, to serve a specific audience goal.
From three buried programs to a clear menu of six
The old programs page opened with a dimly lit event photo and laid the nonprofit's work out as plain text columns under flat yellow icons — and the copy carried a visible typo. Worse, the homepage surfaced only three programs, so a family arriving in crisis had little sense of everything The Arc actually offers. The rebuilt site leads its programs with a confident, high-contrast header and presents six core programs — Advocacy, Guardianship, School and Life, Social Programs, Public Policy, and Events & Education — as clean, modern cards, each with its own icon, a plain-language description, and a "Learn more" link. A family looking for guardianship help, a parent seeking educational advocacy, or a self-advocate looking for social programming can now find the right door in seconds instead of scanning a wall of text. For a nonprofit, clearer programs mean more of the right people reaching the right services — and a stronger case to the funders and grantors who support them.
Built for the phone families actually reach for
Most families find a nonprofit like The Arc from a phone — often a parent searching for help in the middle of a hard day. The old site was never built for that moment: a large logo swallowed the top of the screen, the welcome message was centered gray text over a busy photo, and the calls to action were pale, translucent buttons stacked down the page. The rebuilt site is mobile-first from the ground up. The hero states the mission in bold, readable type, the "Need a Guardianship Packet?" action sits right under it, and the programs, stories, and contact form are all laid out for a thumb. A parent can understand what The Arc does and reach out in seconds — no pinching, no squinting, no dead ends.
A site that welcomes everyone it serves
For an organization that exists to defend the rights of people with disabilities, the website itself has to be accessible — and the old one worked against that goal, with low-contrast text and pale buttons floating over photos. The rebuilt site is designed for legibility first: strong contrast, solid buttons, clear type, and a consistent visual hierarchy that is easier for everyone to navigate. Built-in translation puts the entire site one tap away in Spanish and eight other languages, so the region's many Spanish-speaking families can read about programs and guardianship in their own language. Prominent, readable Donate and Get Involved actions turn goodwill into support, and impact stats — 70+ years serving Colorado Springs, 600+ Arc chapters nationwide, 100% free services — build the trust that donors and grantors look for. The result is a front door that matches the organization's mission: open, clear, and welcoming to every family in the Pikes Peak region.
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