What you can expect.
What we know is broken.
This is a federally-adjacent ACHE-funded learning surface. We treat WCAG 2.1 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 2.1 AA, partial conformance.
The site targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That means meaningful image alt text, captioned video, color-contrast ratios above 4.5:1 for body text, all functionality available via keyboard, no reliance on color alone, and no content that could induce seizures. We do not yet claim full conformance. 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.
ConformsKeyboard navigation
The primary nav, search dropdown (↑↓ + Enter + Esc), Spot the Loop choices, lightbox close (Esc), Note drawer Save/Cancel (Cmd/Ctrl + Enter, Esc), and the achievements panel are all reachable and operable from the keyboard.
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.
PartialModal focus management
The lightbox, note drawer, and achievements panel each open with focus moved into them and close by returning focus to the trigger element. We do not yet implement full focus-trap (where Tab cycles within the modal); a motivated keyboard user can Tab past the modal into the underlying page. Tracked as a known issue.
Known issueCustom cursor
The site offers a custom cursor (small dot + lagging ring) that hides the operating-system cursor on hover-capable, non-touch viewports. This is a known accessibility risk: users who rely on OS-level cursor settings (high contrast, large pointer, motion trails) lose those settings while on this site.
Mitigation: the custom cursor is
disabled when prefers-reduced-motion: reduce is set, on touch
devices, on viewports under 720 px, and via the
localStorage.setItem('hb:cursor-off', '1') opt-out. We are
considering an in-page toggle for the next pass.
Known issueEmbedded video captions
The "Watch the workflow" videos are YouTube embeds. Captions exist via YouTube's auto-caption system; manual caption review is not yet completed. Learners with hearing impairments should expect auto-caption quality, not human-edited.
Automated audit, every push.
The site has a Playwright-driven audit suite that runs on every push to main:
- 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). Every interactive element has a tap target ≥ 24×24 (32×32 target).
Source: tests/audit.spec.mjs in the
project repository.
Most recent run: 0 errors, 0 warnings across 26 pages.
Accessibility settings.
Three preferences live in your browser only — nothing syncs across devices. Toggle anytime; changes apply on the next page load.
Hides the OS pointer and replaces it with a small dot + lagging ring. Some users with motor impairments or OS-level cursor settings prefer this off.
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 2026-05-05. The site is in active development; this page is revised when conformance status changes.