ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

1. Commitment

We at Vretta-Lyryx are committed to delivering accessible and inclusive learning and assessment solutions, addressing the diverse needs of all students, educators, administrators, and parents/guardians. Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we meticulously consider technical and content aspects to ensure our solutions cater to individuals with varying needs in hearing, vision, speech, dexterity, and cognition.We adhere to accessibility guidelines set at international, national, and local levels for our solutions (which include our websites, applications, and knowledge bases) and services provided by our staff members.

2. Accessibility Standards and Guidelines

We continually strive to comply with the latest approved version of accessibility standards. These include the following local, national, and international standards, although our commitment to designing and delivering accessible solutions and services goes beyond these frameworks.

2.1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The latest version of WCAG 2.2 was published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) on October 5, 2023. The four WCAG 2.2 principles outlined below aim to provide a framework for making web content accessible to a wider range of users.

2.1.1. Perceivable: User interfaces should be logical and presentable to users in familiar ways so that they may perceive the information on the screen.
2.1.2. Operable: Users must be able to operate and navigate all components of the solutions they are meant to work with.
2.1.3. Understandable: Users must be able to understand the information presented in the user interface and as well as operable components.
2.1.4. Robust: Content should remain interpretable by a wide range of technologies, including assistive technologies, as they evolve.

We conduct periodic evaluations of our solutions and services based on WCAG 2.2 at Levels A, AA and AAA, and our accessibility standards are regularly updated to adhere to the guidelines. We use tools such as a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) to ensure we are in conformance with the guidelines and any legal requirements.

2.2. Disabilities Acts

2.2.1. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA): The AODA became a law in 2005 and the stated goal of the Act is the creation of an accessible Ontario by 2025, through the development, implementation and enforcement of accessibility standards that apply to the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. There are five accessibility standards that apply to key areas of day-to-day lives for Ontarians. These are (1) information and communications, (2) employment, (3) customer service, (4) transportation, and (5) design of public spaces.

We conduct periodic evaluations of our solutions and services based on the first three key areas of the AODA, which are relevant to us. We ensure that users of our solutions and services, irrelevant of their bodily, sensory, and mental characteristics, have full access to the company’s provisions.

Furthermore, we are committed to training all our staff members and any volunteers who work with us in designing and delivering accessible solutions and services. During the time of recruiting candidates to work with us, we notify them of the accommodations that are available at all times during their employment with us.

2.2.2. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became a law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in many areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and many public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life. These are (1) Employment, (2) Public Service: State and Local Government, (3) Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities, (4) Telecommunications, and (5) Miscellaneous Provisions.

We conduct periodic evaluations of our solutions and services based on the first three key areas of the ADA, which are relevant to us. We ensure that users of our solutions and services, irrelevant of their bodily, sensory, and mental characteristics, have full access to the company’s provisions.

Furthermore, we are committed to training all our staff members and any volunteers who work with us in designing and delivering accessible solutions and services. During the time of recruiting candidates to work with us, we notify them of the accommodations that are available at all times during their employment with us.

3. Accessibility Features

At Vretta-Lyryx, we focus on the following accessibility features which are referred to as success criteria in WCAG 2.2.

3.1. Navigation: Our solutions are designed and developed to provide all users with clear and consistent navigation systems and the ability to find and keep track of their location. Screen readers are provided in the solutions to convert content to synthetic speech which is presented in a linear order. Many users of assistive technologies rely on appropriate headings to navigate through the content, therefore, the headings in our solutions are designed to be easily perceivable via assistive technologies.
3.2. Readable Text: We ensure that all text in our solutions is readable and can be resized according to user preferences without loss of content or functionality. The solutions allow text content to be read by users and also by assistive technologies, and we make sure that information necessary for understanding the text is available.
3.3. Text-To-Speech: We provide the text-to-speech facility allowing users to have text-based content read to them as per their requirement. Users can select any text on the page and then, by clicking the play button, can hear the text read to them. The voice will read the text in the same language the user has selected as the interface language. The system usually supports different languages including the American and British forms of English, as well as French and other languages as required by our partners.
3.4. High Contrast: We provide the ability for users to switch to a high contrast mode to improve the readability as required. This feature of our solutions assists users with moderately low vision to contrast between text and its background so they can comfortably read the content. The visual presentation of text and images in our solutions has a contrast ratio of 4.5 : 1 or more except for the logotypes and large text formats.
3.5. Font Sizes and Line Spacing: We design the size of fonts and spacing between lines to maintain the readability of the information presented on the available screen space. In addition, the user has the option to set the root font size to small, medium, or large as per their requirement.
3.6. Images and Multimedia: All images, illustrations, pictures, and any other multimedia content in our solutions are accompanied by alternative text (alt text) to provide a meaningful experience for users who rely on screen readers.
3.7. Keyboard Accessibility: Our solutions are fully navigable and usable through keyboard commands, ensuring that users who rely on keyboards or other input devices can interact effectively.
3.8. Forms and Interactive Elements: We make sure that forms and interactive elements in our solutions are designed to be accessible and navigable, with appropriate labels and instructions for screen reader users.
3.9. Consistent Structure: We maintain a consistent structure, format, and style across each component of the solutions. This is to ensure a predictable and user-friendly experience for all users.
3.10. Contrast and Color: We adhere to color contrast guidelines to ensure that text and interactive elements are easily distinguishable for users with visual impairments.
3.11. Responsive Design: Our solutions and services are designed to be responsive and compatible with various devices and screen sizes, ensuring a consistent experience for all users.
3.12. Assistive Devices: Users may use their personal assistive devices when accessing our solutions. In cases where the assistive device presents a significant and unavoidable health or safety concern or may not be permitted for other reasons, alternate measures are used to ensure the user can access our solutions and services.

4. Accessibility Commitment Beyond the Common Guidelines

Accessibility standards, whether local, national, or international, set the basic level to ensure solutions are accessible. However, our commitment goes beyond the common guidelines. The following describes ways in which we provide additional care for users with diverse needs to use our solutions.

4.1. Feedback and Transparency: Learning and assessment experiences are dynamic and two-way; i.e., they are not static processes. The feedback both to and from students is a vital way to ensure that the diverse needs of users are being met. This two-way feedback process helps refine and enhance our solutions and services. With the expansion of digital technology in the educational arena, we ensure that text, audio, and video feedback channels are embedded and available in one place in our solutions and services rather than being made available through multiple platforms to deliver feedback. This enhances feedback to users, improves the experience as they can access it in one place, and gives educators greater flexibility in delivering rich feedback.
4.2. Flexible Item Types: Accessibility and inclusivity are enhanced by using a variety of item (question) types and acceptable student responses. For instance, using both multiple-choice items and open-ended items can effectively measure students with different learning abilities. Our end-to-end solutions make this provision for item creators, assessment designers, and learners by giving them a choice for representing their knowledge and understandings. Response types that range from voice and/or video recordings to choosing answers from a list or simple text input offer wider accessibility opportunities for students.
4.3. Clear and Intuitive Navigation: Accessibility by design extends to how clear and concise the instructions are. We are committed to providing a user-friendly interface. Additionally, the navigation is intuitive in all our solutions.
4.4. Device Compatibility: One of the key trends in online learning and assessment accessibility is the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) style of learning and assessment. This allows students to access their learning and assessment resources using their own technology. At Vretta-Lyryx, BYOD is achieved via compatible design between the solutions, the assessment design, and various types of operating systems and devices.
4.5. Special Considerations: As with in-person conventional learning and assessment, online learning and assessment also need to cater to students that require specific accommodations. This can include allowing some students extra time or to take breaks during the learning and assessment process. Our solutions are designed to allow educators to assign varying time allowances for individual students or groups of students as per the accommodation requirements.
4.6. Language Considerations: To be inclusive, it is important to consider the language barriers that might affect students who are not fluent in the language of learning and assessment, i.e., non-native speaking students. Our solutions provide the capability of dynamically switching between languages as required by our partners. We also provide our services in different languages.

5. Third-Party Integrations

While we strive to provide a fully accessible experience, there may be third-party integrations in our solutions that are beyond our immediate control. We work closely with our partners to support the validation of accessibility in the products of third parties that are integrated in our solutions.

6. Accessibility Roadmap

We are continuously working to enhance the accessibility of our solutions. Our accessibility roadmap includes ongoing monitoring, regular assessments, and improvements based on technological advancements and evolving standards. Both accessibility and inclusivity are evolving concepts at the levels of research and technology, therefore, we keep an eye on the latest developments and adopt and adapt best practices in the areas of accessibility and inclusivity of learning and assessment experiences.

7. Contact

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of our solutions and services. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us at [email protected]. We are committed to addressing and resolving any issues promptly.

8. References

9. Revision History

Please note that our Accessibility Statement is reviewed, audited, and revised periodically without notice.