Texas Partners in Policymaking

Texas Partners in Policymaking is a free advocacy training program for adults with developmental disabilities and for parents of children with developmental disabilities. Each class of about 35 people meets over eight weekends in Austin to learn how disability policy is made and how to influence it. The program returned to Texas in 2016 under a contract from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, run by Johnson Applied Solutions, which hired us.

The program had no logo and no website, and its first recruiting season was weeks away. We designed the logo, built the site and supported it through three application seasons, from 2016 to 2019.

We were absolutely, 100%, satisfied with the work Caffeine Interactive completed for our program. Project management, communication, customer service, ability to be flexible and the skill to walk us through the website building process resulted in a quality website. They have their processes down to industry best practices.

Ted Johnson, Texas Partners in Policymaking

The site's main job was recruiting. It had to explain the program to families who were often new to a diagnosis, answer their questions, and take applications. The program wanted to recruit from every part of Texas, including the border region, so the site had to feel welcoming to a diverse audience, and it had to meet Section 508 accessibility requirements, since many of its visitors have disabilities.

Once the class was chosen, the same site had to serve current participants and alumni with the training schedule, faculty and program stories, and staff needed to update it themselves between seasons.

A logo and a look for the program

We started with a brand session to define who the program speaks to and how it should sound: accessible, warm, confident and never focused on a single disability. The brief for the logo was a mark that says Texas at a glance, works in black and white and scales down to a business card. We designed it in Texas flag colors, then wireframed and designed the site around it.

An accessible custom theme

We built a custom WordPress theme against Section 508 requirements, with labeled form fields, breadcrumbs and a text size control in the header that remembers the reader's setting from page to page. Pages are assembled from more than 20 content modules, including hero banners, stories, FAQs, team members, speaker tables and the training schedule, so staff can build new pages without a developer.

An application built for a big decision

The online application is a step-by-step form with conditional questions, covering contact details, disability background (the applicant's own or a family member's), life background and training commitment. Applicants who prefer paper can print it and mail it in. Each submission went to the program by email and into a MailChimp list for that application year, and in 2018 we added a PDF copy of every application to the notification email. A Spanish version followed the same year.

Answers before people have to ask

An FAQ page lets visitors submit a question, a newsletter signup sits in the footer, and a site-wide banner announces when applications open.

Three seasons of support

We kept the site patched with monthly security updates and added what the program needed as it grew: a Class of 2018 page, an Our Champions page for legislative supporters, a redesigned impact page, a satellite campus in the Rio Grande Valley and, later, its removal. Each spring we reopened the application with that year's dates.

• Logo and website delivered in time for the program's first recruiting season in early 2017.
• Applications taken online in English and Spanish, with a print option for applicants who prefer paper.
• Built against Section 508 requirements, with a text size control on every page.
• Supported through three application seasons, until the program changed hands in 2019.