The following is a list of Accessibility improvements made in the September 2023 release:
Keyboard focus / Interactive elements
Interactive elements have been made entirely compatible with a keyboard. Improvements made:
- Interactive elements are controllable with the keyboard - Filters
- Focus no longer navigates onto the similar component multiple times - Notifications
- Interactive elements showcase a visible focus indicator - Login/Public Pages
- Focus refrains from navigating onto the similar component multiple times - File Uploaders
- Focus set onto modal dialog - Notifications
- Keyboard focus follows into expanded content - Site Navigation
- Interactive elements have a visible focus indicator - Messaging Centre
- Pressing the 'Enter' key to select a checkbox no longer causes error - Registration & Certification Screen
Alternative text
Non-text content must have appropriate alternatives. This is required for the content to be understood by all users. Images, icons and so on may otherwise be miscommunicated by assistive technology. There were informative icons that had no text alternative. Improvements made:
- Informative image offers appropriate text alternative - Tenant Logo Dashboard
- Informative status icons provide text alternative - Messaging Centre
- Informative image offers appropriate text alternative - Help & Support
Programmatically unidentified element
Interactive elements need a programmatically determined name, role, and value. These properties must also be accurate and appropriate. Improvements made:
- New message status has been programmatically determined - Messaging Centre
- Current element is programmatically identified - Messaging Centre
- Current element is programmatically identified - Reg & Certs Grid
Contrast
When components have custom focus indication, such as a custom ‘outline’, the indication must pass colour contrast requirements with adjacent colours. Improvements made:
- Custom focus indication contrast (blue outline) - Notifications
- Custom focus indication contrast requirement (background change) - Messaging Centre
- Custom focus indication contrast standards (background change) - Reg & Certs Grid
- Custom focus indication contrast (blue outline) - Reg & Certs Grid
- Custom focus indication contrast (blue outline) - Messaging Centre
- Custom focus indication contrast benchmark(grey/yellow outline) - Notifications
- Custom focus indication contrast (grey/yellow outline) - Messaging Centre
- Custom focus indication contrast (grey/yellow outline) - Reg & Certs Grid
- Colour contrast for graph - “Caseload Life Cycle' Graph
Heading
If a relationship between elements is expressed with visual cues, it also needs to be programmatically determined. This enables assistive technology to communicate the relationships to users. Improvements made:
- Heading marked up semantically - Skills Radar
- Accessible name includes visual name - Messaging Centre
- Form fields and visual labels are associated - Filters
- Checkboxes and visual labels are associated - Reg & Certs Grid
- Unordered list marked up semantically - Messaging Centre
- List semantics on unordered list are properly structured - Site Menu Navigation
Use of colour to communicate information
Information that is visually communicated exclusively through colour may cause issues for low vision and colour blind users who could be excluded by the visual reliance on colour. Improvement made:
- Colour is no longer primarily depended upon to communicate information - Messaging Centre