1The standard we build to
We build helmrow.com to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium. Where Level AAA is straightforward we take it, but AA is what we hold ourselves to.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act incorporates WCAG into federal ICT requirements, so the same criteria are what a federal customer would expect. To be exact about what we are claiming: this is a statement of the standard we build to and test against. We have not commissioned an independent audit of this marketing site and we do not publish a VPAT for it, so please read this as our own assessment rather than a certified conformance claim.
2What we have done
These are properties of the site as built, not aspirations:
- Semantic HTML throughout, with real landmarks (header, navigation, main, footer) and one h1 per page in a heading order that never skips a level
- A skip to content link as the first focusable element on every page
- Every interactive element reachable and operable by keyboard alone, with a visible focus ring that does not rely on colour alone to be seen
- Text and interface colours checked against the WCAG AA contrast minimums, including the small print in the footer
- Nothing conveyed by colour alone: status is always carried by a word as well as a tint
- Animation that runs once and settles, and stops entirely when the browser asks for reduced motion
- Layout that reflows to a single column without horizontal scrolling down to a 320px viewport, and survives text-only zoom because type is set in relative units
- Form fields with associated labels, errors announced politely rather than only shown, and no time limits on anything
- Data tables with proper header cells and scopes, images either given alternative text or marked decorative, and icons hidden from assistive technology where they repeat adjacent text
- Fonts served from our own domain, so the site works the same on a restricted network
3Known limitations
Two things we would rather tell you than have you discover:
- A few of the product views contain small tables that scroll sideways inside their own card on very narrow screens. The card scrolls, not the page, and every cell is reachable, but it is a horizontal scroll and we would rather it were not
- The site has been tested by us and by automated tooling, not by an independent auditor and not, so far, in a formal usability session with people who use assistive technology daily
Neither of these should stop anyone using the site. If either does, tell us and we will treat it as a defect.
4How we assess it
Every change to the site is checked before it ships: heading order, alternative text, accessible names on every link and control, contrast, and reflow at 320, 360, 390, 430, 620, 768, 1024 and 1440 pixels wide. We also run automated accessibility and quality audits, and we read the pages with the keyboard alone.
Automated checks catch a minority of accessibility problems. They are a floor, not a ceiling, and we treat a report from a person as better evidence than a passing score.
5The HelmRow application
This statement covers the public marketing site at helmrow.com. It does not cover the HelmRow application your organization would license, which is a separate product with its own interface.
If accessibility of the application matters to your evaluation, and for a federal contractor it usually does, raise it with us early: write to hello@helmrow.com and ask. We would rather answer the question honestly at the start than have it surface late in a procurement.
6Tell us when something does not work
If any part of this site is difficult or impossible for you to use, we want to know. Tell us the page, what you were trying to do, and what you use to browse, if you are willing to say. We will acknowledge you within five business days and tell you what we intend to do.
Reports about accessibility go to the front of the queue. They are not feature requests.
HelmRow
hello@helmrow.com