This report describes how the VIVA Publishing Dashboard meets the accessibility standard VIVA is held to under Virginia's updated Information Technology Accessibility Act.
Summary: the dashboard substantially conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA. Automated scanning reports zero violations, and the interactive layer (filters, tabs, tables, and charts) was rebuilt to be fully keyboard- and screen-reader-operable. The September 2026 draft added new controls (institution type, publisher, and source type multi-select filters with a type-to-find box, a by-institution table, and a rebuilt APC view); each was built on the same accessible patterns, and the automated scans (axe-core: zero violations on every view; Lighthouse accessibility: 100/100) and keyboard testing were repeated on the new build. One item, an end-to-end walkthrough with the NVDA screen reader, remains scheduled and is marked in amber below. No outstanding failures are known.
How to read the status
Conformance by requirement
Grouped by the four WCAG principles: content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
| Requirement | Status | How the dashboard meets it |
|---|---|---|
| Text alternatives for charts (1.1.1) | Conforms | Every chart has an accessible name and an associated data table containing the same numbers, so the information is available without seeing the graphic. |
| Information & relationships (1.3.1) | Conforms | Proper headings, landmark regions, labelled form controls, and data tables with row/column headers convey structure programmatically. |
| Use of colour (1.4.1) | Conforms | Colour is never the only cue: open-access categories carry text labels, and chart data is also available as text tables. |
| Text contrast (1.4.3, AA) | Conforms | Text colours were adjusted so all text meets at least the 4.5:1 minimum contrast ratio (large text 3:1), measured across the interface. |
| Non-text (graphics) contrast (1.4.11, AA) | Conforms | The chart colour palette was darkened so each graphical element meets the 3:1 contrast minimum against the white plot background; bars and slices carry a dark border, and stacked bars use a uniform hairline separator between segments so thin slices stay legible. |
| Reflow & resize text (1.4.4, 1.4.10, AA) | Conforms | Verified at 320 px and 375 px width (equivalent to 400% zoom): content reflows to a single column with no two-dimensional page scrolling, filter popovers stay within the viewport, and wide data tables scroll within their own region. |
| Requirement | Status | How the dashboard meets it |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard operable (2.1.1) | Conforms | The whole interactive layer (tabs, publisher selector, institution multi-select, filter popovers, sortable table) was rebuilt on standard controls and is fully operable by keyboard, including arrow-key navigation and Escape to close. |
| Bypass blocks (2.4.1) | Conforms | A "Skip to main content" link is the first focusable element, and content is organised under landmark regions. |
| Focus visible (2.4.7, AA) | Conforms | A clear, high-contrast focus outline is shown on every interactive element when navigating by keyboard. |
| Chart interactions reachable (2.1.1) | Conforms | "View in OpenAlex" links that were previously mouse-only are provided as real links in each chart's data table, so they are reachable by keyboard. |
| Requirement | Status | How the dashboard meets it |
|---|---|---|
| Language of page (3.1.1) | Conforms | The page declares its language (English) so assistive technology pronounces it correctly. |
| Labels & instructions (3.3.2) | Conforms | Every filter and control has a visible, programmatically-associated label (including the publisher type-to-find box and each multi-select group); panels explain their behaviour in plain text, and the About page explains how filters and chart legends relate. |
| Consistent, predictable UI (3.2.x) | Conforms | Navigation and controls behave consistently; links that open a new tab announce that they do so. |
| Requirement | Status | How the dashboard meets it |
|---|---|---|
| Name, role, value (4.1.2) | Conforms | Custom widgets (tab list, radio-style publisher pills, expandable filters, sortable columns) expose correct ARIA roles, names, and states to assistive technology. |
| Status messages (4.1.3, AA) | Conforms | A polite live region announces loading and "results updated" so screen-reader users know when filtered data has changed. |
| New controls in the September 2026 build (2.1.1, 2.4.3, 4.1.2) | Conforms | The institution type, publisher, and source type filters are native checkbox groups with labelled search, Select all / Deselect all buttons, and a per-panel Apply; panels open with Enter or Space, close with Escape, and return keyboard focus to their button. The by-institution table and the rebuilt APC charts reuse the sortable data-table pattern. Verified by keyboard-only testing on the live site. |
| Automated rule scan | Conforms | axe-core 4.10 (WCAG 2.0/2.1 A & AA rules) reports zero violations on every view of the September 2026 build (OA Agreements, Overview, Subject Areas, Publishers, Citation Comparison, APC Fees, About). |
| Screen-reader walkthrough | In progress | The browser accessibility tree (what a screen reader reads) was inspected for the full flow: filter bar (author-scope radio group, labelled filter buttons with expanded state, checkbox groups), tab lists, chart names, data tables with row and column headers, and the live status region ("Overview updated."). An end-to-end session with the NVDA screen reader is still scheduled to confirm the spoken experience. |
| Independent audit (Lighthouse) | Conforms | Lighthouse 13.5 accessibility audit of the live site on 25 September 2026: score 100/100, all 25 applicable automated checks passed. |
Notes
Charts are drawn with the Plotly library. Rather than rely on the library's own graphics for non-visual users, every chart is paired with a text data table that carries the same figures; this is the supported, robust way to make data visualisations accessible.
This report reflects the dashboard as reviewed on the date above and will be updated as the remaining verification passes are completed. Questions or specific accessibility needs can be sent to support@openalex.org.