Accessibility Statement
We want everyone to be able to read this site and use AIOS, including people who navigate with a keyboard, use a screen reader or a magnifier, or need motion turned down. This page says what we have done, what we know is not right yet, and how to tell us when something gets in your way.
What we are aiming at
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. That is the standard the Americans with Disabilities Act is generally measured against in practice, and it is the one we test ourselves with.
What is in place
- Every page declares its language and has a page title that says what it is.
- Every meaningful image has alternative text. Images that are decoration are marked so a screen reader skips them.
- Every form field has a label a screen reader can read, and a required field that is left empty says so in your browser's own words rather than as a generic error.
- Everything you can click, you can also reach with the Tab key, and the item you are on has a visible focus outline.
- Buttons that show only an icon carry a text label for screen readers.
- Menus, dialogs and drawers close with Esc, and on a phone the system back gesture closes whatever is open before it leaves the app.
- Body text on the pages we have measured meets or exceeds the AA contrast ratio against its background, and AIOS lets you change the text size of your notes with a control on the editor itself.
- Nothing important is signalled by colour alone. In the weather panel, for example, a severe forecast is marked with an exclamation badge as well as a colour.
- If your device asks for reduced motion, the animated parts of AIOS stop.
- Pages are usable at 200% zoom and on a narrow screen without scrolling sideways.
What we know is not right yet
We would rather list these than let you find them:
- Some older pages of the site — the poetry, product and computer-repair pages — use an earlier layout and have not had the same keyboard pass as the rest.
- The weather scene in AIOS is decorative and is not described in words. The same information is in the numbers beside it.
- A few third-party embeds (advertising units) are outside our control and may not meet the same standard.
- Colour contrast has been measured on the main pages, not on all of them. Every page is checked automatically for the things a machine can read — page language, form labels, button names, link text, image alt text — but contrast has to be measured in a browser, and we have done the homepage, the AIOS pages and the Developer's Notebook rather than all thirty-seven.
- We have not had an independent audit. Everything above is our own testing.
How we check
Every release runs an automated pass over every public page for the checks a machine can make: a declared page language, a label on every form field, an accessible name on every button, discernible text on every link, alternative text on every image, and a viewport that does not block zoom. Anything it finds stops the release. Contrast, keyboard order and the quality of alternative text are judged by hand in a browser, because no source check can see them.
If something here stops you, tell us and we will fix it. You do not need to explain why, and you do not need to use any particular words. We aim to reply within two business days.
Email CaligoArts@gmail.com with the page address and what happened. If it is easier to describe it another way, say so and we will arrange it.
Getting the same thing another way
If any part of this site or of AIOS is not usable for you, we will provide the same information or service by email or over the phone at no cost. Ask at the address above.