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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

WCAG standards measure web content accessibility, primarily for people with disabilities.

Samantha Postlethwaite avatar
Written by Samantha Postlethwaite
Updated over a week ago

📢 We are working towards ensuring that our front office meets all the new requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which goes into effect on July 1st, 2024. Our goal is to make the front office compatible with WCAG 2.1 AA, a standard that is compatible with every available tool to assist individuals with visual and motor disabilities.

As for the back office, we are committed to providing supplementary software to specific employees who work at our clients' organizations and require visual or motor assistance when using Amilia's solution.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a series of guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).; with the aim of making web content more accessible, primarily for people with disabilities. These guidelines are commonly used as the framework for ADA Compliance and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) can be completed to document and measure a product's conformance with WCAG accessibility standards and guidelines. WCAG versions 2.0 and 2.1 are most often referenced in laws about accessibility. Both versions have 3 levels of compliance: A, AA, AAA, with criterion becoming stricter at each level.

Amilia's online store SmartRec is designed with WCAG best practices in mind. This includes (but is not limited to) facilitating screen reader navigation, providing minimum color contrasts, and supporting keyboard-only navigation. Please contact us at support@amilia.com if you find content that requires improved accessibility.

SmartRec Accessibility Conformance Report - WCAG Edition (Based on VPAT® Version 2.4)

Name of Product/Version

SmartRec store

Product Description

The default store setting for new SmartRec organizations. The store includes:

  • Global header and footer navigation

  • Product pages

  • Cart and checkout pages

Date

November 2020

Contact Information

Notes

  • First-pass audit has been completed.

  • There are issues yet to be addressed, noted within the Remarks and Explanations sections.

  • WCAG Level AAA criterion were not part of this audit, thus the AAA table has been omitted from the report.

Evaluation Methods Used

Assessment is completed using a combination of manual and automated accessibility testing tools.

Applicable Standards/Guidelines

This report covers the degree of conformance for the following accessibility standard/guidelines:

Degree of conformance for applicable standards/guidelines

Standard/Guideline

Included In Report

  • Level A (Yes)

  • Level AA (Yes)

  • Level AAA (No)

  • Level A (Yes)

  • Level AA (Yes)

  • Level AAA (No)

The terms used in the Conformance Levels are defined as follows:

  • Supports: The functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.

  • Partially Supports: Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.

  • Does Not Support: The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.

  • Not Applicable: The criterion is not relevant to the product.

  • Not Evaluated: The product has not been evaluated against the criterion.

Table 1: Success Criteria, Level A

Criteria

Conformance level

Remarks & explanations

Supports

By default, SmartRec contains no images in need of alternative text.

However, the user can upload images, and in this case, no functionality is provided to add alternative text to their custom image content.

Not Applicable

By default, SmartRec doesn't contain audio-only or video-only content.

Not Applicable

By default, SmartRec doesn't contain prerecorded audio content.

Not Applicable

By default, SmartRec doesn't contain prerecorded audio or media content.

Supports

Headings, list structure, tables, and more have been applied as required to convey semantic meaning for content.

Supports

Content reading order supports top-to-bottom, left-to-right sequence.

Supports

Content doesn't solely rely on shape, size, visual location, orientation, or sound.

Partially Supports

By default, color isn't used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.

Not Applicable

By default, SmartRec doesn't contain audio-only content.

2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A)

Partially Supports

Functionality of the content is designed to be operable through keyboard interface, without specific time requirements.

However, there may be difficulty navigating the Image Upload/Cropper component in Step 2 of checkout for questions which require a photo upload with only the keyboard.

Supports

Keyboard trapping doesn't take place anywhere other than required (modal windows).

Not Applicable

Keyboard shortcuts are not implemented in the Store or checkout pages.

Partially Supports

By design, very little timed content is implemented by default.

Not Applicable

No blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating content is supplied by default.

Not Applicable

By default the Store contains no flashing content or flashing content is below threshold.

Partially Supports

A mechanism is available to bypass blocks of content that are repeated on multiple pages, namely landmarks and headings which can be accessed using assistive technologies.

However, we should consider making this bypass option available through a mechanism that doesn't require a screen reader, like making the bypass appear as the first item when tabbing with a keyboard.

Supports

The descriptive title of an HTML web page is marked up with the <title> element.

Partially Supports

When navigating through the store using a keyboard, tab sequence does not always follow top-to-bottom, left-to-right sequence.

Supports

Link context and purpose is programmatically conveyed for assistive technology (for links/buttons that are not clear on their own).

2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (Level A 2.1 only)

Not Applicable

By default, no content using pointer gestures is supplied.

2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation (Level A 2.1 only)

Not Applicable

By default, no content using pointer gestures is supplied.

2.5.3 Label in Name (Level A 2.1 only)

Supports

The words which visually label a component are also the words associated with the component programmatically.

2.5.4 Motion Actuation (Level A 2.1 only)

Not Applicable

By default, no motion dependent content is supplied.

Does Not Support

The default human language of each web page cannot be programmatically determined.

We should supply this data in header section meta element (we currently don't).

3.2.1 On Focus (Level A)

Supports

Focusable elements do not change or alter the current context when receiving focus.

3.2.2 On Input (Level A)

Supports

Changing the setting of any user interface component does not automatically cause a change of context unless the user has been advised of the behavior before using the component.

Supports

If an input error is automatically detected, the item that is in error is identified and the error is described to the user in text. This is by default in all checkout forms.

Supports

All form input controls are labelled.

4.1.1 Parsing (Level A)

Partially Supports

There are still a few areas where IDs are duplicated. This can be checked using Lighthouse.

Address search ID is coded same as Address in Step 2 of checkout.

Supports

The name and role of user interface components can be programmatically determined.

Table 2: Success Criteria, Level AA

Criteria

Conformance level

Remarks & explanations

Not Applicable

By default, no live audio or video content is supplied.

Not Applicable

By default, no live audio or video content is supplied.

1.3.4 Orientation (Level AA 2.1 only)

Supports

No restrictions are placed on orientation. Content may be consumed from any orientation available.

1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (Level AA 2.1 only)

Partially Supports

The type attribute is used to programmatically determine the intention of the input field.

However, this first pass audit may have missed some input fields which do not identify input purpose.

Partially Supports

SmartRec's default color scheme has been tested for contrast.

As identified by Lighthouse tool, some Amilia-blue text on white background does not have sufficient contrast with smaller fonts.

Partially Supports

Text-only resize up to 200% is supported.

Supports

By default, no images of text are included.

1.4.10 Reflow (Level AA 2.1 only)

Supports

Zoom at 400% resizes to show store UI in a single column with no horizontal zoom.

1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (Level AA 2.1 only)

Not Evaluated

This criteria was not evaluated as part of the first pass audit.

1.4.12 Text Spacing (Level AA 2.1 only)

Not Evaluated

This criteria was not evaluated as part of the first pass audit.

Not Evaluated

This criteria was not evaluated as part of the first pass audit.

Does Not Support

The store is not navigable in multiple ways. There is no site map available and no global search function is provided in the store, only individual searches per product area.

Partially Supports

Headings and labels are used to describe topic or purpose of interface.

(Level AA)

Supports

The keyboard focus indicator is available and visible by default for all focusable elements.

Not Evaluated

This criteria was not evaluated as part of the first pass audit.

Supports

User interface provides a standard and consistent navigation area in the store and Checkout.

Not Evaluated

This criteria was not evaluated as part of the first pass audit.

Supports

Input error states are visually and programmatically shared with the user post form submission.

Supports

Data is reversible, programmatically verified upon form submission, and can be reviewed before final submission takes place.

4.1.3 Status Messages (Level AA 2.1 only)

Partially Supports

Very few status messages are present in the store. When a user adds an item to their cart, live region role is used so that the assistive technologies reads the status update.

However, status messages should be considered to make clear the remaining time of the cart as well as search results status.

Legal Disclaimer

This VPAT is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. The purpose of this VPAT is to assist organizations in making preliminary assessments regarding the features that support accessibility in the Amilia product, based on our own understanding of the WCAG standards. Amilia Enterprises Inc. makes no warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, in or about this VPAT, and specifically disclaims any liability with respect to this VPAT. Amilia Enterprises Inc. cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information, which may be changed without prior notice. Organizations are responsible for assessing and ensuring their own compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

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