Accessibility

The standard

Apex Atelier is built to conform with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, Level AA. That is the standard referenced in practice by the Americans with Disabilities Act, by Section 508, and by the European Accessibility Act. We treat it as a floor, not a ceiling, and the same standard applies to every system we hand over, not only to this catalog.

What is already true

• Keyboard. Every control is reachable and operable from a keyboard alone. Focus is visible on all five display themes, because a focus ring that disappears on a light background is not a focus ring.
• Screen readers. Real headings in order, real landmarks, a label on every form field, and alternative text wherever an image carries meaning. Decorative photography is marked decorative so it is skipped.
• Reduced motion. If your system asks for less motion, nothing animates and nothing is withheld from you. There is no scroll hijacking, no carousel that advances on its own, and no autoplaying audio.
• Contrast. Body text holds at least 4.5 to 1 against its background on every theme. Light themes exist for exactly this reason: a dark interface is a preference, not a requirement.
• Touch targets. Every tappable control clears 44 by 44 pixels on a touch device.
• Small screens. Every page is audited at 320, 390, 1024 and 1440 pixels with zero horizontal overflow. Audited, not resized.
• No JavaScript path. The system navigator falls back to a native details and summary control, so the catalog is still navigable when scripting fails.

Where it is imperfect

Honesty is worth more here than a clean claim.

• Embedded prototypes. Some system pages can render a working build inside a sandboxed frame. Those frames are secondary: the same build always opens in its own tab, where it can be read properly, and the page text carries the meaning on its own.
• Showcase builds. The demonstration sites under the showcase are built to the same standard, but a few are deliberately experimental. Where an interface idea could stand between somebody and the content, the content stays reachable without it.
• Third party photography. Library images are decorative and marked as such. Anything carrying meaning is described.

How we test

Keyboard traversal of every route, a screen reader pass on the catalog and one system page, an automated contrast check across all themes, and a width sweep at four breakpoints. Findings are logged in the project record and fixed before a release, not filed as known issues.

Report a barrier

If any part of this site keeps you from doing what you came to do, tell us what happened and what you were using. We reply within one business day and we will get you the information another way in the meantime.

Report an accessibility barrier