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warpbeam
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Accessibility

Usable by everyone.

Anyone who manages identities, approves access or reads an evidence report should be able to do so with a keyboard, a screen reader or strong magnification just as well as with a mouse and a screen. This page sets out the standard we measure Warpbeam against, how we test and where we stand today.

StatusAn audit report exists for the Warpbeam web interface, and the fixes are under way. We will only declare conformance once an audit confirms it.

Why

A requirement, not an extra.

Warpbeam is also meant for public sector bodies. For them, accessibility is mandatory: the software they use must be usable by people with disabilities without particular difficulty and, as a rule, without help from others. That applies to the staff who work with Warpbeam as much as to everyone who reads a report it produces.

So we treat accessibility like security: as a property of the product that we test and demonstrate, not as something to add later. New parts of the interface are to meet the requirements from the start.

Standard

What we measure against.

We follow the rules that apply to public sector bodies in Germany, and go one step further on the web guidelines.

EN 301 549 V3.2.1
The European standard for accessible ICT. For web content it refers to the WCAG; it also covers documents, software and documentation.
BITV 2.0
The German federal ordinance on accessible information technology. It makes the harmonised standard binding for public sector bodies.
WCAG 2.1, level AA
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in the version the standard refers to today.
Additionally WCAG 2.2, level AA
The newer version, with requirements on obscured focus, target size and accessible authentication, among others.
PDF/UA
The standard for accessible PDF documents (ISO 14289-1). It applies to the reports and evidence documents Warpbeam produces.

Our reading of these rules is based on the guidance of the German federal monitoring body for accessible ICT (BFIT-Bund) (external site), including its guide to designing accessible software (external site), and on the advice on accessible software from the Federal Accessibility Agency (external site). All three are in German.

Approach

Test first, then fix.

The Warpbeam web interface was audited systematically. The audit report follows the structure public sector clients know from such reports: every finding states the defect, a recommendation, the affected criterion of EN 301 549 and a severity that sets the deadline for the fix.

  1. With the keyboardEvery view and every window that opens, without a mouse: order, visible focus, closing, return.
  2. AutomatedTesting with axe against the WCAG rules, on large and small screens, light and dark.
  3. Targeted checksContrast including the focus outline, magnification up to 400 %, reflow, text spacing, language, labels and forms.
  4. With screen readersTesting by specialists with screen readers complements the other steps. It is still to come.

Fixing

In groups, not piece by piece.

Many findings share a cause. So we fix them in the shared building blocks of the interface, so that the fix works the same everywhere.

  • Overlays and dialogs
  • Keyboard operation
  • Page titles and contrast
  • Small screens and magnification
  • Forms: required fields, error messages, groups
  • Interface language
  • Generated PDF reports

Status

Where we stand today.

Each item shows its status as a shape and a word.

  • In progress Started, not yet complete.
  • Target state Decided and specified, not implemented yet.

  1. Web interface

    In progress

    The audit report exists. The findings are ordered by severity and assigned to the groups above; the fixes are under way.

  2. PDF reports to PDF/UA

    Target state

    The reports and evidence documents Warpbeam produces as PDF today do not yet meet PDF/UA. We plan to replace the PDF generator; generated documents are then to be checked against PDF/UA automatically.

  3. Screen reader testing

    Target state

    A statement on conformance needs, besides keyboard, automated and targeted checks, testing with screen readers by specialists.

  4. Accessibility statement

    In progress

    The website warpbeam.de has an accessibility statement, which we renew regularly. For the product interface, one will follow once an audit confirms what it says.

Feedback

Report a barrier.

Have you come across a barrier in Warpbeam or on this website? Please tell us. Describe where it was and what did not work; the assistive technology you use helps us, but is up to you.

Report a barrier via the contact page

This page is about the product. The website warpbeam.de itself is covered by its accessibility statement.