Accessibility Statement

NDEVR wants OWL and ndevr.org to be usable by as many people as possible, including people who rely on assistive technologies. This statement describes where we stand and how to reach us if something doesn't work for you.

Part of NDEVR's compliance & conformity program · Accessibility feedback: accessibility@ndevr.org.

In progress. We are working toward conformance with WCAG 2.2 level AA and improving as part of our compliance program, in line with the European Accessibility Act (applicable from 28 June 2025). This statement is updated as our conformance improves; some areas below are known limitations we are actively addressing.

Contents

  1. Our target
  2. Current status
  3. Standards & laws
  4. Known limitations
  5. Feedback & contact
  6. Compatibility
  7. This statement

1. Our target

We aim for our website and the OWL web client to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, level AA (2.2 supersedes 2.1 and is a small superset). We treat accessibility as part of building the product, not an afterthought: our shared design system uses theme tokens that maintain color contrast in both light and dark modes, semantic headings and landmarks, keyboard-operable controls, and visible focus.

2. Current status

We assess the site as partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 AA — most content and core flows are accessible, and we are closing remaining gaps. We have not yet completed a full third-party audit; until we do, we describe our status honestly rather than claiming full conformance.

3. Standards & laws

Our accessibility work targets the recognized standards behind both EU and US accessibility requirements. We treat each as a target with conformance in progress, not a completed certification:

  • WCAG 2.2 level AA — the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, our primary technical target.
  • EN 301 549 — the European accessibility standard for ICT, which incorporates WCAG and underpins the European Accessibility Act. We aim to align ndevr.org and the OWL web client with its web requirements.
  • US Section 508 — the US federal procurement accessibility requirement, which references WCAG 2.0 AA. We aim to align with Section 508 for relevant web content; this is an alignment statement, not a Section 508 conformance certification, and we do not currently publish a VPAT / Accessibility Conformance Report.

Adding these standards reflects the breadth of our target — it does not claim full conformance with any of them. Our current status remains partially conformant, as stated above.

4. Known limitations

We are actively working on the following areas:

  • Some interactive 3D / WASM views (the in-browser model viewer and editors) are inherently visual and may not be fully operable with a screen reader or keyboard alone; we provide non-visual alternatives where practical and are improving these.
  • Some complex data tables and dialogs are being reviewed for complete screen-reader labeling and keyboard navigation.
  • A complete, independently audited WCAG 2.2 AA conformance review is in progress.

If you hit a barrier not listed here, please tell us — see below.

5. Feedback & contact

If you encounter an accessibility barrier on ndevr.org or in OWL, contact accessibility@ndevr.org. Please describe the problem, the page or feature, and the assistive technology and browser you were using. We aim to acknowledge accessibility reports within 5 business days and will work with you on an alternative way to access the content or service in the meantime.

6. Compatibility

The site is designed to work with current versions of major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and common assistive technologies. It is responsive and supports both light and dark themes and OS-level reduced-motion preferences.

7. This statement

This statement applies to ndevr.org and the OWL web client. It will be reviewed and updated as our accessibility work progresses and after our planned conformance audit.