Accessibility Statement

Updated: 30 March 2026

1. Our Commitment

SectorSMART Ltd is committed to making our scenario-based training platform accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of ability or technology. We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA, as referenced by the UK Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and the Equality Act 2010.

While SectorSMART is a private-sector platform, we voluntarily adopt public-sector accessibility standards because the industries we serve — fire and rescue, security, forestry, wind energy, and pre-hospital care — include workforces with diverse needs, and training software must not be a barrier to competency development.

2. Accessibility Features

The SectorSMART platform includes the following accessibility features:

Visual

• Full dark mode and light mode support with system preference detection
• Colour contrast ratios meet WCAG 2.2 AA minimum requirements (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text and UI components)
• No information is conveyed by colour alone — all status indicators include text labels alongside colour coding
• Responsive design adapts to screen sizes from 320px upwards
• Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality
• Focus indicators are visible on all interactive elements

Navigation

• Skip-to-content links on all pages
• Consistent navigation structure across the platform
• All interactive elements are reachable via keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Escape)
• Logical heading hierarchy (h1 through h4) on all pages
• ARIA landmarks used for page regions (banner, navigation, main, contentinfo)

Content

• Plain language used throughout — written for clarity, not complexity
• All form inputs have associated labels
• Error messages are descriptive and linked to the relevant field
• Scenario content uses structured branching with clear decision prompts
• Time-pressured training phases include visible countdown timers with text updates

Compatibility

• Compatible with current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
• Tested with screen readers (VoiceOver on macOS/iOS, NVDA on Windows)
• Semantic HTML5 elements used throughout
• No CAPTCHA or visual verification challenges — bot detection is handled server-side

3. Known Limitations

We are aware of the following areas where accessibility could be improved, and we are working to address them:

• Scenario visual simulations — some scenario content uses visual scene descriptions that may not be fully accessible to screen reader users. We are developing text-alternative descriptions for all scenario stages.
• Chart and graph components — analytics dashboards use interactive charts (compliance circles, heatmaps, competency radars) that provide limited screen reader context. We are adding data table alternatives and ARIA descriptions.
• PDF certificate exports — generated PDF certificates may not be fully tagged for assistive technology. We plan to implement tagged PDF output.
• Third-party cookie consent banner — the cookie consent component has been audited but may present minor focus-trapping issues on some screen readers.

4. Testing

We test accessibility using a combination of:

• Automated scanning (axe-core, Lighthouse)
• Manual keyboard-only navigation testing
• Screen reader testing with VoiceOver (macOS/iOS) and NVDA (Windows)
• Colour contrast verification against WCAG 2.2 AA thresholds
• Responsive testing across mobile, tablet, and desktop viewports

Accessibility testing is included in our quality assurance process for all new features.

5. Feedback and Contact

If you experience any difficulty accessing the SectorSMART platform, or if you have suggestions for improving accessibility, we want to hear from you. Please contact us at:

• Email: accessibility@sectorsmart.co.uk
• General enquiries: info@sectorsmart.co.uk

We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 working days. Where a reported barrier prevents you from completing required training, we will work with your organisation to provide an alternative format or reasonable adjustment while we resolve the issue.

6. Enforcement

If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility concern, you can contact the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) at equalityadvisoryservice.com or the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) at equalityhumanrights.com.

7. Technical Specification

The SectorSMART platform is built with the following technologies that support accessibility:

• Semantic HTML5
• WAI-ARIA 1.2 attributes for dynamic content and custom components
• React 18 with accessible component patterns
• Tailwind CSS with WCAG-compliant colour tokens
• Server-side rendered meta descriptions and structured data for search engine accessibility

8. Review Schedule

This accessibility statement is reviewed and updated at least annually, or whenever significant changes are made to the platform. The next scheduled review is April 2027.