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Accessibility Statement

Last updated: 10 July 2024

At Aptem, we are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with diverse abilities. We continually improve the user experience for everyone and apply the relevant accessibility standards to achieve this goal. Our efforts align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, aiming to meet AA compliance to make our services inclusive and user-friendly for all individuals.

We understand that accessibility is an ongoing journey, and the WCAG guidelines are constantly evolving. As such, we are dedicated to not only meeting the current standards but also proactively adapting to future updates and advancements in accessibility practices. By doing so, we strive to ensure that our platform remains accessible and beneficial to all users, regardless of their abilities.

Our Accessibility Measures

Aptem takes the following measures to ensure accessibility:

  • Incorporating accessibility into our development process: We integrate accessibility into every stage of our product development lifecycle, from initial design to final deployment.
  • Regular evaluations: Our platform undergoes regular accessibility evaluations using automated tools, manual testing, and user feedback to promptly identify and address any issues.
  • Continuous training: Our team receives ongoing training on the latest accessibility standards and best practices to ensure that our platform evolves in line with current guidelines.
Current Compliance and Recent Improvements

We are proud to maintain our platform’s compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA standards, with a strong focus on ensuring the accessibility of our learner interface. Here are some of the recent improvements we have made:

  • Enhanced Keyboard Navigation: We have made extensive improvements to keyboard navigation throughout the platform, ensuring that all interactive elements are accessible and focusable via the keyboard.
  • User Interface Adjustments: Significant UI enhancements have been implemented to improve readability and usability, including correcting layout issues and ensuring elements are clearly distinguishable.
  • Improved Popup and Dialogue Accessibility: We have addressed multiple issues related to the functionality and accessibility of popups and dialogues, ensuring they close appropriately and are easily navigable.

We continuously monitor and enhance our platform to ensure it remains accessible. We acknowledge that minor issues may arise, and we are committed to resolving them swiftly to maintain our high standards of accessibility. For detailed information about our recent improvements and updates, please visit our release announcements in the Help Centre: Aptem Updates.

Conformance Status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines the guidelines for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Aptem’s primary user interface for learners is compliant with WCAG 2.2 level AA. This means our core functionalities meet the accessibility standards, ensuring a seamless experience for our primary users.

We acknowledge a few known issues affecting lesser-used parts of the system. These issues are minor and do not impact the overall accessibility of our main interface. We are actively working to resolve these issues to enhance our platform’s accessibility further.

Compatibility with Browsers and Assistive Technology

Aptem is designed to be compatible with popular assistive technologies, including NVDA, VoiceOver, and JAWS, as well as the latest versions of major modern browsers. To stay current with new frameworks and technologies that adhere to modern web standards and to reduce our dependence on old/insecure technologies, we have decided to cease support for Internet Explorer (IE).

We recommend our users transition from IE to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as stable and supported browsers for our upcoming releases. Different screen readers tend to be optimised to work with different browsers, so users may need to choose the best combination.

Third-Party Content

Aptem customers can upload documents and eLearning content into Aptem. The customer is responsible for the accessibility of their content.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on Aptem’s accessibility. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us via email at accessibility@aptem.co.uk. We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 business days.

Technical Specifications

Aptem relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browsers and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML
  • WAI-ARIA
  • CSS
  • JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Assessment Approach

Aptem assesses the accessibility of its platform through the following approaches:

  • Self-evaluation: We conduct regular internal assessments and audits to ensure ongoing compliance with accessibility standards.
  • External evaluation: We periodically engage third-party experts to conduct comprehensive accessibility evaluations.
  • Quality Assurance: Accessibility is always tested on UI updates using a standardised testing checklist and tools such as WAVE to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
Known Issues

While we strive to adhere to the accepted guidelines and standards for accessibility and usability, there are some minor areas of our platform that are still being refined. These issues are not core to retaining our AA compliance and are actively being addressed. The known issues can be broadly categorised into the following areas:

  • Keyboard Navigation and Focus: Some minor cosmetic issues with keyboard focus and navigation, including occasional flickering and focus styles not updating as intended. These do not significantly impact overall usability but are being fine-tuned for better performance.
  • Contrast and Readability: A few instances where text contrast does not meet the minimum required standards, particularly with larger text or custom interactive elements. These instances are being adjusted to ensure all text is sufficiently distinguishable or marked as a complex operation as provided for under the guidelines.
  • Content Zoom and Layout: Purely cosmetic layout issues when content is zoomed, resulting in a slight loss of meaningful content or misalignment. Efforts are ongoing to ensure content remains accessible and properly aligned at all zoom levels.

We are committed to resolving these issues swiftly to maintain our high standards of accessibility and ensure an inclusive experience for all users. For detailed information about our ongoing improvements and updates, please visit our release announcements in the Help Centre: Aptem Updates.