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. A short list of items are implemented and awaiting a final manual verification pass (a full screen-reader walkthrough and an independent automated audit), 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 and segment borders added so each graphical element meets the 3:1 contrast minimum. |
| Reflow & resize text (1.4.4, 1.4.10, AA) | Conforms | Verified at 320 px width (equivalent to 400% zoom): content reflows to a single column with no two-dimensional page scrolling, 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; the filter bar states that filters apply to all charts. |
| 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. |
| Automated rule scan | Conforms | axe-core (WCAG 2.0/2.1 A & AA rules) reports zero violations on every view. |
| Screen-reader walkthrough | In progress | End-to-end testing with a screen reader (NVDA) is scheduled to confirm the experience matches the code-level conformance above. |
| Independent audit (Lighthouse) | In progress | A second independent automated audit (Lighthouse accessibility) will be recorded alongside axe-core for the file record. |
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 [email protected].