What you can expect.
What we know is broken.
This is a federally-adjacent ACHE-funded learning surface. We treat WCAG 2.2 AA as the floor, not the ceiling, and we surface the gaps we already know about — because a credential page that hides its accessibility limits isn't credible.
WCAG 2.2 AA target, partial conformance.
The site targets WCAG 2.2 Level AA. That means meaningful image alt text, captioned video, color-contrast ratios above 4.5:1 for body text, keyboard operability for core navigation and content, no reliance on color alone, and no content that could induce seizures. We do not yet claim full conformance: manual screen-reader and assistive-technology verification remains a required review step. The known gaps below describe where we fall short and what we plan to fix.
ConformsImage alternatives
Every figure on session pages, the showcase grid, and the credential badge has
descriptive alt text or a figcaption. Decorative SVGs (the hero wave) are
aria-hidden.
PartialKeyboard navigation
The primary nav, search dropdown (↑↓ + Enter + Esc), lightbox close (Esc), Note drawer Save/Cancel (Cmd/Ctrl + Enter, Esc), achievements panel, Session 7 paper-prototype parts, and Session 11 revision-triage cards are reachable and operable from the keyboard. The remaining gap is manual screen-reader and assistive-technology verification across every interactive state.
ConformsReduced motion
The hero typewriter, custom cursor, and back-to-top button all respect
prefers-reduced-motion: reduce. The site falls back to a static
headline and the operating-system cursor.
ConformsSkip-to-content
Every page begins with a "Skip to main content" link that becomes visible on keyboard focus. First Tab jumps the user past the utility bar and primary nav.
PartialColor contrast
Body text on cream and crimson on white meet AA. Some de-emphasized caption text uses #888 on light backgrounds, which can fall below 4.5:1 at small sizes. Tracked for the next polish pass.
ConformsModal focus management
The lightbox, note drawer, and achievements panel each open with focus moved into them, trap focus so Tab cycles within the modal, and close by returning focus to the trigger element, including the enrollment modal.
ConformsNative pointer
The production surface keeps the operating-system pointer visible. The former game-style cursor is disabled fail-safe, so high-contrast, large-pointer, and motion-trail preferences remain available to the learner.
Verification: automated reduced-motion coverage and the manual review record both treat the native pointer as the expected state.
Known issueEmbedded video captions
The bundled avatar primers expose WebVTT captions and text transcripts alongside the WebM/WAV media. The separate "Watch the workflow" videos are YouTube embeds; those still rely on YouTube captions and have not completed a manual caption quality review. The distinction is intentional so learners can use the local transcript when an external caption track is not sufficient.
Automated audit, every push.
The site has a Playwright-driven audit suite that runs in the release workflow. It checks representative pages and interactions; passing automated checks is not, by itself, a claim of full WCAG conformance. Manual keyboard, screen-reader, zoom, captions, and assistive-technology review remain required. The latest manual review record is available here; it records keyboard and caption evidence separately from the still-pending screen-reader pass.
- Structural a11y: exactly one
<h1>per page, viewport meta present, theme-color set, no missing image alts. - Console + network: no uncaught JS errors, no broken internal links.
- Mobile viewport: 6 representative pages spot-checked at 390×844 (iPhone 14 Pro). The interactive elements sampled there have tap targets ≥ 24×24 (32×32 target); this is not a claim about every control on every page.
Source: tests/audit.spec.mjs in the
project repository.
Most recent run: 0 errors, 0 warnings across 30 audited pages; representative-page coverage is not full conformance evidence.
Accessibility settings.
Three preferences live in your browser only — nothing syncs across devices. Toggle anytime; changes apply on the next page load.
The production surface keeps the operating-system pointer visible. The former game-style cursor is disabled fail-safe so pointer preferences remain available.
Mute the achievement system. Site still tracks what you've done — toasts and the utility-bar badge just stop appearing. See the handbook §6.2 on why this is a real concern.
The homepage headline types itself in. Already off when your OS has prefers-reduced-motion set. This toggle forces it off regardless.
Tell us. We fix.
Accessibility complaint mechanism
Email jmoon19@ua.edu with the page URL, what you were trying to do, and what blocked you. Include your assistive-tech setup if relevant. We commit to acknowledgement within 5 business days and a fix or written remediation plan within 30 days.
For institutional ADA / Section 508 escalation: UA ADA Office.
Statement last reviewed 2026-08-01. The site is in active development; this page is revised when conformance status changes.