Accessibility

Empathy Works Inc. is committed to making the Orbit platform accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. We are working toward conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the Level AA conformance level.

Accessibility Standards

We have adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA as our target accessibility standard for the Orbit platform. WCAG 2.1 is a set of technical guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for making web content more accessible.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA meets the requirements of most domestic and international accessibility laws, including:

• Section 508 (US) — The Final Rule sets WCAG 2.0 Level AA as the standard for federal web content.
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — WCAG 2.0 Level AA is the recognized standard for web accessibility under Title III.
• European Accessibility Act (EAA) / EN 301 549 — The web requirements reference and correspond directly with the WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria.
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) — Requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance for web content.

What We Do Today

Orbit is built using modern web technologies that provide a strong foundation for accessibility. Our current accessibility features include:

Semantic HTML and Page Structure — The platform uses semantic HTML5 elements (<main>, <nav>, <header>, <footer>, <aside>) to provide meaningful page structure for assistive technologies. Navigation regions are labeled with ARIA attributes.

Keyboard Navigation — Interactive elements are reachable and operable via keyboard. The platform provides keyboard shortcuts (using modifier keys) for common actions and supports Escape to close dialogs.

Visible Focus Indicators — Interactive elements display visible focus rings when navigated via keyboard, ensuring users can track their position on the page.

Consistent Navigation — Navigation menus are consistent across pages within each portal (member portal, admin portal), providing a predictable browsing experience.

Form Validation and Error Messages — Form validation errors are displayed inline near the relevant field with descriptive messages indicating what needs to be corrected.

Responsive Design — The platform is fully responsive and supports content reflow at various viewport sizes, including 320px width. Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.

No Flashing Content — The platform does not contain content that flashes more than three times per second.

Valid HTML — Our template engine produces well-structured, valid HTML5 markup.

Notification Alerts — System notifications use role="alert" to ensure they are announced by screen readers.

Dialog Accessibility — Modal dialogs include role="dialog" and aria-modal attributes to communicate their purpose to assistive technologies.

What We're Working On

We are actively working to improve accessibility across the platform. Current focus areas include:

• Adding skip navigation links to allow users to bypass repeated content
• Improving form label associations and programmatic error linking
• Ensuring all images and icons have appropriate text alternatives
• Enhancing ARIA support for dynamic content updates (particularly for content loaded asynchronously)
• Improving heading hierarchy consistency across pages
• Adding support for prefers-reduced-motion to respect user animation preferences
• Conducting a formal color contrast audit of the default theme

We do not yet have a third-party accessibility audit or a published Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). These are planned as we mature our accessibility program.

Shared Responsibility

Orbit is a multi-tenant platform — Organizations use Orbit to manage their membership communities and may customize certain aspects of their sites. As the platform operator, we are responsible for the accessibility of the platform itself: the navigation, forms, layout, and interactive components.

Organizations that use Orbit are responsible for ensuring the accessibility of the content they create, including:

• Custom brand colors meeting contrast requirements
• Alt text for uploaded images and resources
• Accessible content in announcements, event descriptions, and course materials
• Captions or transcripts for any video or audio content they share

Feedback and Contact

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of the Orbit platform. If you encounter an accessibility barrier or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

Email: accessibility@orbitams.com

When reporting an issue, it is helpful to include:

• A description of the issue and where you encountered it
• The assistive technology you were using (if applicable)
• The WCAG success criterion it relates to (if known)

We take accessibility reports seriously and will work to address issues promptly.

Last updated: March 23, 2026