Accessibility & Section 508 Status

Standards Referenced

Design and testing are guided primarily by WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria and the Revised Section 508 Standards (36 CFR Part 1194). The current build is partially aligned and should be considered a work in progress, not a fully conformant implementation.

• Perceivable (WCAG 1.x): work in progress on text alternatives, color contrast, and non-text content.
• Operable (WCAG 2.x): core flows are keyboard accessible; major interactive modals now implement focus trapping (Tab / Shift+Tab stay within the dialog, Escape closes and returns focus).
• Understandable (WCAG 3.x): consistent labeling and instructions are being added to student and teacher views.
• Robust (WCAG 4.x): ARIA roles and labels are being audited so content works reliably with assistive technologies.

Scope

This statement covers the public landing page (/) and the main student experience at /academy/. It does not yet cover any separate admin tools or experimental views that are only exposed to developer roles.

Current Accessibility Features

• Semantic HTML structure for navigation, main content, headings, and forms on the landing page.
• Programmatic labels for key form controls, including student name, subject selection, and topic briefing.
• Keyboard focusable buttons and controls in the difficulty selector, writing workspace, and key modals (Dictionary, Research, Account, Dashboard).
• Contenteditable writing area exposed as a role="textbox" with aria-multiline="true".
• Icon-only controls in the writing toolbar include aria-label and title text.
• User-selectable accessibility themes (default, deuteranopia-friendly, protanopia-friendly, high-contrast) available from Settings; themes apply via body classes and CSS overrides.

Known Gaps & Planned Improvements

The following items are known gaps relative to WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 requirements and are being tracked for future releases:

• Additional alt text for decorative and avatar imagery (Professor avatar, some icons).
• Formal keyboard-only walkthrough of all modals and dialogs, including verification of focus trapping and Escape behavior against WCAG techniques.
• Color contrast review for all accent colors and badges against WCAG AA contrast ratios, including newly added accessibility themes.
• Screen reader-specific testing of dynamic announcements (loading indicators, speech bubbles, and AI responses).
• Completion of a full VPAT / Section 508 conformance report once the UI stabilizes.

Assistive Technology Testing

As of this version, informal testing has been performed using a desktop browser with built-in keyboard navigation and developer accessibility tools. Formal testing with screen readers or mobile assistive technology has not yet been completed.

Feedback

Accessibility feedback is welcome and will directly influence the roadmap. To report a barrier or request an accommodation, please contact the project owner using the same email listed for pilot and deployment discussions.