Accessibility Statement

Our Accessibility Standards

NOCTI Compass is designed to meet or exceed WCAG 2.2, Level AA. We also reference Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and align with ED Section 508 requirements applicable to educational technology used in U.S. public institutions.

What We Do

Visual Design

• Color contrast: All text and interactive elements meet WCAG AA contrast ratios (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).
• Color independence: Information is never conveyed by color alone. Status indicators and chart elements always include text, patterns, or icons as redundant cues.
• Scalable text: The interface remains usable when text is resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
• Readable typography: Minimum base font size of 16px with generous line height (1.6–1.7).

Keyboard Navigation

• All interactive elements are fully operable via keyboard — no mouse required.
• Focus indicators are visible and meet WCAG 2.2 focus appearance criteria.
• Logical tab order follows the visual layout: top-to-bottom, left-to-right.
• Modal dialogs trap focus correctly and return focus on close.

Screen Reader Compatibility

• Semantic HTML throughout — proper headings, landmarks, lists, and tables.
• ARIA labels and roles applied where native semantics are insufficient.
• Data visualizations include accessible text alternatives or data tables.
• Dynamic content updates are announced via ARIA live regions.
• Form inputs have visible labels and associated <label> elements.

Data Tables and Dashboards

• Dashboard charts include descriptive alt text or linked data tables.
• Comparison tables use proper headers with scope attributes.
• Score indicators use both color and text labels (e.g., "Below Benchmark" + icon, not color alone).
• Trend data includes accessible summaries that do not require viewing the chart.

Motion and Timing

• No content flashes more than three times per second.
• Animated transitions respect the prefers-reduced-motion media query.
• Time-limited interactions provide adequate time and do not auto-expire without warning.

Mobile and Responsive

• Fully responsive, tested at 320px, 768px, and 1280px widths.
• Touch targets are minimum 44×44px per WCAG 2.2 guidelines.
• No functionality is lost at mobile sizes.

Known Limitations

• Complex chart interactions: Some interactive dashboard features (hover tooltips, drill-down filtering) have limited keyboard alternatives. We are developing equivalents.
• Third-party content: Uploaded assessment files may contain content that is not fully accessible. We structure our output accessibly but cannot control user-uploaded data.
• PDF exports: PDF report exports may not yet fully meet PDF/UA standards. We are working on tagged, accessible PDF generation.

If you encounter an accessibility barrier not listed here, please let us know — we treat it as a bug, not a feature request.

Testing and Validation

• Automated testing: axe-core and Lighthouse audits run in our development pipeline.
• Manual testing: Keyboard-only navigation, screen reader testing (NVDA/JAWS, VoiceOver), and zoom testing at 200%.
• User feedback: We actively solicit feedback from educators who use assistive technology.

Assistive Technology Support

NOCTI Compass is tested with:

• JAWS (Windows, Chrome/Edge)
• NVDA (Windows, Chrome/Firefox)
• VoiceOver (macOS Safari; iOS Safari)
• Windows Narrator (Windows, Edge)
• ZoomText (Windows)

Feedback and Requests

We aim to respond to accessibility requests within 2 business days and to provide a resolution or workaround within 10 business days.

Ongoing Commitment

Accessibility is not a one-time project. We integrate accessibility reviews into every feature development cycle. Our goal is to make NOCTI Compass usable by every educator and student who needs it — without exception, workaround, or compromise.