Accessibility
CivAccount is designed to be accessible to everyone. We follow WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines and continuously work to improve the experience for all users.
Our standards
We believe everyone should be able to understand how their council spends money. That means building a site that works for people with visual, motor, auditory, and cognitive disabilities.
Accessibility features
Colour contrast
All text meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards with a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Tested against both light and dark backgrounds
- Muted colours carefully calibrated for readability
- No information conveyed by colour alone
Keyboard navigation
Every feature is accessible using only a keyboard. Tab through the site, press Enter to activate, and use arrow keys where appropriate.
- Skip link to jump straight to main content
- Visible focus indicators on all interactive elements
- Logical tab order throughout the site
Screen reader support
Semantic HTML and ARIA labels ensure screen readers can accurately describe all content and functionality.
- Proper heading hierarchy (h1, h2, h3)
- Descriptive link text (no "click here")
- Alt text for meaningful images
Touch targets
All buttons and interactive elements have a minimum touch target of 44x44 pixels, making them easy to tap on mobile devices.
- Generous padding on all buttons
- Well-spaced navigation links
- Mobile-optimised form controls
Reduced motion
Animations and transitions are automatically disabled for users who prefer reduced motion in their system settings.
- Respects prefers-reduced-motion
- Essential functionality works without animation
- No flashing or strobing content
Dark mode
A carefully designed dark theme reduces eye strain in low-light conditions and respects system preferences.
- Automatically follows system settings
- Manual toggle available
- Same contrast standards as light mode
How we test
We regularly test CivAccount using:
- Keyboard-only navigation
- VoiceOver (macOS) and NVDA (Windows) screen readers
- Browser zoom up to 200%
- High contrast mode (Windows)
- Automated tools (axe, Lighthouse)
Found an accessibility issue?
We take accessibility seriously. If you encounter any barriers using CivAccount, please let us know so we can fix them.