accessibility_new Accessibility Statement

Accessibility

calendar_today Statement Date: 21 March 2026 update Last reviewed: 21 March 2026

volunteer_activism

Every voter deserves equal access.

KeralaCompass is designed so that every eligible voter - regardless of disability, device, or connectivity - can take the quiz, learn about Kerala's political fronts, sign the pledge, and participate fully in the democratic process.

verified

WCAG 2.1

Target: Level AA

smartphone

Mobile-First

Responsive & touch-ready

translate

Bilingual

English + Malayalam script

1 Our Commitment

We are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. KeralaCompass targets conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA - the internationally accepted standard for web accessibility.

We also design in the spirit of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act), which requires accessible digital services for all citizens of India.

groups

Accessibility is not a feature - it is a fundamental right of every voter. We treat it as a continuous practice, not a one-time checklist.

2 Conformance Status

KeralaCompass is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Partial conformance means that some parts of the content do not fully meet the standard yet - these are listed in Section 10 (Known Limitations). We are actively working to reach full conformance.

check_circle Perceivable - All non-text content has text alternatives. Colour is never the sole means of conveying information.

check_circle Operable - All functionality is accessible by keyboard. No content requires more than a single pointer gesture.

check_circle Understandable - Language is declared. Labels and instructions are provided for all inputs.

pending Robust - Mostly compatible with assistive technologies. Some dynamic HTMX-loaded content is being improved for live-region announcements.

3 Keyboard Navigation

Every feature on KeralaCompass can be reached and operated using a keyboard alone - no mouse required.

keyboard_tab Tab / Shift+Tab - move forward / backward through interactive elements.

keyboard_return Enter / Space - activate buttons and links.

arrow_forward ← → - navigate between quiz questions. 1-5 - select your answer directly.

first_page A skip navigation link is available at the top of each page to jump directly to main content, bypassing repeated navigation.

Focus indicators are clearly visible on all interactive elements - using the platform's primary colour outline - so keyboard users can always see where they are on the page.

4 Screen Reader Support

KeralaCompass is built with semantic HTML5 and ARIA to work well with screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver (iOS/macOS), and TalkBack (Android).

structure Landmark regions - <header>, <main>, <nav>, <footer> allow quick section navigation.

label ARIA labels on all buttons, inputs, and interactive components - including icon-only buttons (dark mode toggle, nav icons).

campaign Live regions (aria-live="polite") on the stats counter and quiz progress bar announce dynamic updates without disrupting reading flow.

visibility_off Decorative icons and SVG elements use aria-hidden="true". Meaningful icons always have adjacent visible text.

view_list Quiz questions use role="group" with aria-label to group sentiment options. Progress is announced as "STEP X OF 50".

5 Visual Accessibility

Our visual design follows the Material You design system, built on a semantic colour token architecture that ensures consistent contrast and adaptability.

contrast Colour contrast - All text and interactive elements meet or exceed WCAG AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).

dark_mode Dark mode - Available via the nav toggle or system preference detection. Both light and dark themes meet contrast standards independently.

palette No colour-only information - Status indicators, error messages, and quiz results always combine colour with icons and text labels.

text_increase Text scaling - The layout adapts to browser font-size settings up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.

motion_photos_off Animations pause for prefers-reduced-motion

zoom_in Pinch-to-zoom never disabled

font_download System font fallbacks for all custom fonts

line_weight 1.6× line-height on all body text

6 Typography & Readability

KeralaCompass uses Plus Jakarta Sans - a humanist sans-serif designed for clarity at all sizes - with a generous base size and comfortable line spacing throughout.

format_size Body text is set at 16px base (1rem) and never falls below 12px in any component. Headings scale fluidly from mobile to desktop.

space_bar Paragraph line-height is 1.6 for body text and 1.1 for display headings - balancing readability with visual hierarchy.

article Content columns are constrained to max-w-3xl on long-form pages (quiz, policy, results) to prevent excessive line lengths that fatigue readers.

7 Mobile & Touch Accessibility

KeralaCompass is a mobile-first Progressive Web App (PWA). The majority of Kerala's young voters access the internet through smartphones, so mobile accessibility is a primary - not secondary - concern.

touch_app All interactive elements meet the minimum 44×44px touch target size recommended by WCAG 2.5.5 (AAA) and Apple/Android guidelines.

phone_iphone The layout is fully responsive - from 320px (iPhone SE) to 4K displays - with no horizontal scrolling at any standard viewport.

install_mobile The PWA install prompt lets users add KeralaCompass to their home screen for instant access - important for users with cognitive load or low connectivity.

wifi_off Offline support - Core assets and the quiz are cached via a Workbox service worker. Users can access educational content even without network connectivity.

swipe All interactions require only single-pointer gestures. No complex multi-finger or path-based gestures are required for any core functionality.

8 Language & Script Support

KeralaCompass serves voters in Kerala, where Malayalam is the primary language. We support both languages throughout the platform.

language The page-level lang="ml" attribute is set on the HTML element. Malayalam content within English pages uses lang="ml" on the enclosing tag so screen readers switch to the correct voice.

abc Malayalam script is fully Unicode-compliant. All fonts fall back gracefully to the device's system Malayalam typeface if the web font is unavailable.

format_align_left Malayalam is a left-to-right script. No RTL layout changes are required, maintaining a consistent reading order for all assistive technologies.

9 Inclusive Quiz Design

The Political Compass quiz is the core of KeralaCompass. It is designed so that every voter - regardless of ability - can complete it fully and receive accurate results.

sentiment_satisfied Each of the 5 answer options combines a Material Symbol icon, a text label (e.g., "Strongly Agree"), and a visible border indicator - never relying on colour alone.

skip_next A "Skip for now" option is always available - allowing users who need more time to reflect to proceed without being blocked.

format_list_numbered Progress is shown as both a visual step bar and a text label ("STEP X OF 50") - providing redundant cues for all users.

info A Contextual Nuance section below each question provides background for users who need additional context to make an informed choice.

keyboard Full keyboard shortcut support: press 1-5 to select an answer and ← → to navigate between questions.

10 Known Limitations

We are transparent about the areas where our accessibility currently falls short. The following limitations are known and actively being addressed:

draw Canvas signature drawing - The drawn signature option on the Pledge page is not accessible to screen reader or keyboard-only users. A fully accessible typed name alternative is always available and is the default.
sync HTMX live-reload announcements - Dynamically refreshed content (stats counter, leaderboard) may not be consistently announced by all screen readers. We use aria-live="polite" as a mitigation and are improving this.
share Third-party social share buttons - Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, and Facebook share buttons use those platforms' own accessibility standards, which are outside our control.
animation Hero compass animation - The rotating compass needle is a decorative SVG. It is marked aria-hidden="true" and carries no informational content, but the animation does not yet fully respect prefers-reduced-motion in all browsers.

construction

We aim to address all critical limitations within each release cycle. If a limitation blocks you from completing a task, please contact us and we will assist you directly.

11 Feedback & Contact

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of KeralaCompass. If you encounter a barrier, find a page that is not fully accessible, or have a suggestion, please let us know.

contact_support Accessibility Contact

Email: [email protected]
Response time: Within 7 business days

When you contact us about an accessibility issue, please include the URL of the page, a description of the barrier, and the assistive technology or browser you are using. This helps us reproduce and fix the issue faster.

12 Assessment & Roadmap

KeralaCompass assesses its own accessibility through internal reviews by the development team. We use automated tools (Lighthouse, axe-core) alongside manual keyboard and screen reader testing.

checklist Current status - Self-assessed as partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Lighthouse accessibility score: 90+ on all core pages.

upcoming Planned improvements - Full prefers-reduced-motion compliance; enhanced HTMX live-region announcements; third-party WCAG audit before the next major release.

groups Community testing - We intend to partner with disability-rights organisations in Kerala to conduct user testing with assistive technology users ahead of election season.

This statement was last reviewed on 21 March 2026. We review and update it at least once per major release cycle.

accessibility_new

Democracy works best when everyone can participate.

We build KeralaCompass so that no voter is left behind - not by a broken layout, not by an unreadable font, not by a missing label. If something gets in your way, tell us. We will fix it.

mail Report an Issue chat Contact Us