Accessibility Conformance Report — AssisT 1.0.0
Self-assessment, in VPAT® 2.5 International Edition format — AssisT Adaptive Augmentative Tool
Product Version: AssisT 1.0.0 | Report Date: 13 September 2026 | Prepared by: the AssisT maintainer (self-assessment) | Standards: WCAG 2.2 Level AA, EN 301 549 v3.2.1, Revised Section 508
At a Glance
- Self-assessed position: every applicable criterion is rated Supports except four — one Level A and three Level AA criteria are rated Partially Supports. Nothing is rated Does Not Support. The per-criterion verdicts are in the tables below; read those rather than a headline score.
- The four Partially Supports criteria are, at Level A, SC 3.2.6 Consistent Help; and at Level AA, SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) — disabled states, SC 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast — toggle-switch track, and SC 4.1.3 Status Messages —
aria-busyon AI loading states. Each is explained under Limitations. - 1.0.0 features are self-assessed and not yet independently tested — the 16-shortcut registry, Mind Map, Maths Support, the rebuilt citation manager, the flat popup and the Companion features are covered by the notes below, not by a separate evaluation pass
- No screen-reader conformance report yet — NVDA, JAWS and VoiceOver testing is the highest-priority outstanding item
- Independent third-party audit planned, not commissioned — when it happens it will produce a public report that supersedes this one
- EN 301 549 v3.2.1 and Revised Section 508 mapped below
- Accessibility issues? Email [email protected] — acknowledged within 5 working days
About This Report
Product: AssisT: Adaptive Augmentative Tool, version 1.0.0 — a Chrome Manifest V3 browser extension distributed through the Chrome Web Store. Chrome and Edge 88 or later. It is not available for Firefox or Safari.
Author and status: this Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) is a self-assessment prepared by the AssisT maintainer. It is written in the VPAT® 2.5 International Edition format so that it sits alongside the vendor ACRs you already read, but it carries none of the independence a third-party report would. Treat every verdict below as the developer's own considered judgement, supported by automated tooling and manual keyboard testing — not as a verified claim.
What it covers: the extension popup (both the flat 1.0 popup and the earlier layout), the advanced options modal, profile management, the 16 registered keyboard shortcuts, and the content-script–injected controls (highlight menu, microphone button, reading guide, focus mode overlay, annotation sidebar, sticky notes).
Basis: the criterion tables below are carried forward from the VPAT 2.5 self-assessment published for version 0.9.3 (28 May 2026), with SC 2.1.1 Keyboard re-checked after a keyboard defect was found and fixed in the 1.0.0 citation manager before release. What is new in 1.0.0 is documented in What changed in 1.0.0, and every one of those notes is marked self-assessed, not yet independently tested.
Scope note: accessibility of the host learning-management system (Canvas, Moodle, Google Classroom) is outside AssisT's scope. AssisT is additive and does not override host-page semantics.
Evaluation Methods
- Automated, run by hand: axe DevTools and WAVE were run manually against the extension's own pages during the 0.9.3 assessment in May 2026. No automated accessibility gate runs in continuous integration at 1.0.0. A Pa11y configuration exists in the repository but Pa11y is not an installed dependency, the path it points at is not produced by the build, and no workflow invokes it — so nothing in CI would fail on an accessibility regression
- Manual keyboard navigation across all popup views, modals and injected controls, including every registered shortcut
- Unit and end-to-end tests: Jest unit tests and Playwright end-to-end tests carrying accessibility assertions. Chrome extension testing needs a display-attached browser, so the end-to-end suite is verified in attended CI
- Code review against WCAG 2.2, the ARIA Authoring Practices Guide 1.2, and WAI-Adapt drafts
- Not done: screen-reader conformance testing with NVDA, JAWS or VoiceOver; any independent or third-party evaluation; any automated scan of the 1.0.0 surface, including the content-script–injected DOM. See Limitations
Terms Used
- Supports — the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects, or meets it with equivalent facilitation
- Partially Supports — some functionality does not meet the criterion
- Does Not Support — the majority of the functionality does not meet the criterion
- N/A — the criterion is not relevant to the product
Only Level A and Level AA criteria are claimed. Level AAA is out of scope and is not claimed.
WCAG 2.2 Level A — All Criteria
| Success Criterion | Conformance | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Supports | All icon buttons have aria-label. Hidden file-input carries aria-label="Import profile JSON file". |
| 1.2.1–1.2.3 Audio/Video | N/A | No prerecorded audio-only or video media. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Supports | Semantic HTML, proper form label association, enforced heading hierarchy. |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | Supports | DOM order matches visual order. |
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | Supports | Instructions do not rely solely on shape, size, or location. |
| 1.4.1 Use of Colour | Supports | Badges combine colour with text; toggle state uses position and colour; focus indicators use more than colour. |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | N/A | TTS is user-initiated; no auto-play audio. |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | Supports | All functionality is keyboard-operable, with 16 customisable shortcuts in 1.0.0 (14 at 0.9.3) and platform-aware badges in popup labels. Defect found and fixed during the 1.0.0 assessment: the rebuilt citation manager originally bound its per-citation Copy and Open buttons through a delegated mousedown listener, which Enter and Space never reach. The delegate now listens for click plus Enter/Space keydown, the citation list keeps one roving tab stop, and the AI setup mode chooser received the same fix. Verified by the maintainer by keyboard only; not yet independently tested. |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | Supports | Focus escapes all components; modals dismiss with Esc. |
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | Supports | No single-character printable shortcuts. 15 of the 16 shortcuts require a modifier (Alt/Option, or Ctrl+Shift); the sixteenth is Escape, which dismisses Reading Mode and is exempt as a standard non-printing key. |
| 2.2.1–2.2.2 Timing | N/A | No time limits or auto-updating content. |
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes | Supports | No flashing content. |
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | N/A | Single-view popup; no repeated navigation blocks. |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | Supports | Popup titled "AssisT: Adaptive Augmentative Tool". |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | Supports | Focus sequence follows visual layout across popup and injected controls. |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose | Supports | No "click here" patterns; links carry descriptive text. |
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | Supports | All functionality operable by single pointer. No multi-point gestures. |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | Supports | Actions trigger on up-event. src/utils/event-handlers.js enforces this uniformly. |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | Supports | Accessible names match visible labels. |
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | N/A | No device-motion input. |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | Supports | lang="en" set on root element. |
| 3.2.1 On Focus | Supports | No context changes on focus. |
| 3.2.2 On Input | Supports | Settings require explicit Save; no unexpected context changes. |
| 3.2.6 Consistent Help (WCAG 2.2) | Partially Supports | Per-feature in-context help exists. No single, consistently-positioned help mechanism across all views. Still open at 1.0.0; the flat popup did not close it. |
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | Supports | Errors identified in text, not colour alone. |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | Supports | All inputs labelled; complex controls include instructions. |
| 3.3.7 Redundant Entry (WCAG 2.2) | Supports | Profile import/export and switching eliminate redundant entry. |
| 4.1.1 Parsing (obsolete in WCAG 2.2, retained for EN 301 549 v3.2.1) | Supports | No duplicate IDs; proper nesting (W3C validator passes). |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Supports | ARIA roles, labels, states applied consistently. State changes use aria-checked, aria-expanded. |
WCAG 2.2 Level AA — All Criteria
| Success Criterion | Conformance | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2.4–1.2.5 Live Captions / Audio Description | N/A | No live or prerecorded video media. |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | Supports | Works in any orientation. |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | Supports | autocomplete attributes applied where appropriate. |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | Partially Supports | Main/button/badge text meets 4.5:1. Two failures fixed in v0.9.2 (STT offline badge, citation badge). Disabled-state combinations unverified — roadmap item. |
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | Supports | Scales to 200% without loss of functionality. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | Supports | No images of text used. |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | Supports | Reflows at 320 CSS px without horizontal scroll. |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | Partially Supports | Focus indicators meet 3:1. Toggle-switch track/thumb contrast unverified across all themes — roadmap item. |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | Supports | AssisT implements text-spacing adjustments as a core user feature (line-height 1.5×, letter/word spacing adjustable). UI respects user overrides. |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | Supports | Tooltips are dismissible (Esc), hoverable, and persistent. |
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | N/A | Single-page popup. |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | Supports | Descriptive headings and labels throughout. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | Supports | All focusable elements display a focus indicator with ≥3:1 contrast. |
| 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (WCAG 2.2) | Supports | Focused elements not fully hidden by overlapping content. Modal dialogs do not obscure underlying focus. |
| 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (WCAG 2.2) | Supports | No drag-only interactions; sliders have keyboard alternatives. |
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (WCAG 2.2) | Supports | Toggles 44×24 px; buttons min 32×32 px; mic button 48×48 px. All exceed 24×24 px requirement. |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | N/A | UI is single-language. Translated content is served with appropriate lang attribution. |
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | Supports | Navigation elements occupy consistent positions across views. |
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | Supports | Identical icons and labels used consistently. |
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | Supports | Errors suggest corrections (e.g. "Invalid profile name. Use letters, numbers, and spaces only."). |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention | N/A | No legal, financial, or irreversible transactions. |
| 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (WCAG 2.2) | N/A | No user authentication required. All personalisation is local-device. |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | Partially Supports | Toast notifications use role="status" and aria-live="polite". AI-inference loading states do not yet expose aria-busy. Still open at 1.0.0. |
What Changed in 1.0.0
The criterion tables above were evaluated against 0.9.3. Version 1.0.0 adds features and changes others. Each row below records what the maintainer did to keep the new surface accessible and what has not been checked. Every row is self-assessed and not yet independently tested. Where a row says a criterion was not re-evaluated, read it as untested rather than as assessed and passing.
| 1.0.0 change | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 16 keyboard shortcuts (was 14) | Self-assessed | Two shortcuts added since 0.9.3 (Alt+Shift+M for Mind Map, Alt+C for citations). 15 of the 16 require a modifier (Alt/Option, or Ctrl+Shift); Escape is the exception. Saved custom shortcut sets now inherit new defaults rather than silently omitting them. Relevant to SC 2.1.1 and SC 2.1.4 — not re-evaluated by anyone other than the maintainer. |
| Mind Map (beta) | Self-assessed | The outline pane is a WAI-ARIA tree with a full keyboard map, and the canvas is a second view of the same model, so every operation available by dragging on the canvas is also available from the outline. This is the design intent for SC 2.1.1 and SC 2.5.7. It is a beta feature, it is the largest new UI surface in 1.0.0, and it has had no screen-reader testing at all. |
| Maths Support | Self-assessed | Off by default. Large-number formatting groups digits visually while keeping the value copy-safe, and exposes the spoken words to assistive technology instead of a digit-by-digit reading. The intent addresses SC 1.3.1 and SC 4.1.2. Equation read-aloud output has not been verified against any screen reader's own maths handling. |
| Rebuilt citation manager | Self-assessed | Four styles and ten source types, bulk select, a restorable trash and an in-text citation checker. The trash means deletions are reversible, which helps SC 3.3.4. Bulk-select and the checker results list are new composite widgets whose status messaging has not been screen-reader tested (see the open SC 4.1.3 item). |
| Flat popup | Self-assessed | A new layout only: a group bar across the top (Reading, Writing, Seeing, Focus, Study) over the same 29 supports, with a compact header and light or dark theme. No feature behaves differently on either popup. Relevant to SC 2.4.3, SC 3.2.3 and SC 2.1.1; the focus order of the group bar has not been independently checked. |
| Companion (preview) features | Self-assessed | On by default and individually switchable: study-tools discovery, personalised AI output, equation read-aloud, a stuck-reader prompt, Authorship Shield, flashcards, a reading-level dial, a lecture companion and a hands-free voice command palette. These are labelled preview in the product for a reason — they are the least tested part of 1.0.0. An institution that wants a stable evaluation surface can switch them off. |
| Institutional branding | Self-assessed | An institution's accent colour is darkened automatically until it holds WCAG 2.2 AA contrast against the popup background, so a brand key cannot push the interface below the contrast floor. Relevant to SC 1.4.3 and SC 1.4.11. |
EN 301 549 v3.2.1
AssisT is a web-based application delivered as a Chrome browser extension. Clause 9 (Web) is the most applicable clause; it adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which the WCAG 2.2 AA assessment above subsumes.
| Clause | Applicability | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Clause 5 — Generic requirements | Applicable | 5.1 (closed functionality) not applicable — AssisT is not a closed product. 5.2–5.9 follow from the WCAG support above. |
| Clause 6 — Two-way voice communication | Not Applicable | AssisT provides no two-way voice communication. |
| Clause 7 — Video capabilities | Not Applicable | AssisT provides no video content. |
| Clause 8 — Hardware | Not Applicable | Software only. |
| Clause 9 — Web | Applicable | Adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The WCAG 2.2 AA position in the tables above subsumes it, subject to the four Partially Supports criteria and the limitations below. |
| Clause 10 — Non-web documents | Applicable to documentation | User guides, this report and the privacy policy are published as accessible HTML and Markdown on fiavaion.com. No proprietary document format is needed to use the product. |
| Clause 11 — Software | Applicable — see note | The popup is a web-based software UI, covered by Clause 9. AssisT ships no separate native application. Clause 11.8 (authoring tools) is not applicable: AssisT is a consumer tool, not an authoring tool. |
| Clause 12 — Documentation and support services | Applicable | Documentation in HTML and Markdown. Support channel [email protected]; see the support commitments. |
| Clause 13 — Relay and emergency services | Not Applicable | AssisT provides no relay or emergency service access. |
Revised Section 508
Included for reference. AssisT is not sold to United States federal agencies — it is not sold at all — but the mapping is given because US institutions often ask for it.
| Chapter | Applicability | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 3 — Functional Performance Criteria | Applicable | 302.1–302.9 are addressed through the WCAG 2.2 AA support above. 302.1 (without vision) and 302.2 (with limited vision) cannot be fully claimed until screen-reader testing is done. |
| Chapter 4 — Hardware | Not Applicable | Software only. |
| Chapter 5 — Software | Applicable | 501.1 applies. 502 and 503 (interoperability with assistive technology, user preferences) are met through standard web platform semantics; the extension does not override host-page semantics or block AT. 504 (authoring tools) not applicable. |
| Chapter 6 — Support documentation and services | Applicable | 602 — documentation is published as accessible HTML and Markdown. 603 — support is by email and GitHub issues; see the support commitments. |
| E205 — Electronic content | Applicable | Mapped via WCAG 2.0 AA, which the WCAG 2.2 AA position above subsumes. |
Limitations — What This Report Does Not Tell You
These are the honest gaps. They are listed here rather than buried because a disability service needs them to make a decision, and because none of them is a reason to stop publishing the report.
- No screen-reader conformance report. AssisT has never been tested end to end with NVDA, JAWS or VoiceOver. ARIA roles, names and states are applied throughout and reviewed in code, but nobody has driven the product with a screen reader and written down what happened. This is the highest-priority outstanding quality item. If your students use a screen reader as their primary access method, pilot AssisT with them before you recommend it.
- No independent audit. A third-party specialist review is planned but not commissioned, and there is no date for it. When it happens the resulting public report will supersede this page.
- SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) — partially supported. Main, button and badge text meets 4.5:1. Disabled-state foreground and background combinations have not been swept systematically across every theme.
- SC 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast — partially supported. Focus indicators meet 3:1. Toggle-switch track and thumb contrast is unverified across all themes.
- SC 3.2.6 Consistent Help — partially supported. Per-feature in-context help exists, but there is no single help affordance in a consistent position across every view.
- SC 4.1.3 Status Messages — partially supported. Toasts use
role="status"andaria-live="polite", but AI-inference loading states do not yet exposearia-busy. - No automated accessibility gate. axe DevTools and WAVE were run by hand against the extension's own pages during the 0.9.3 assessment. Nothing runs automatically: the repository carries a Pa11y configuration, but Pa11y is not an installed dependency, its configured path is not produced by the build, and no workflow invokes it. Restoring a working gate — and extending it to the content-script–injected DOM — is a roadmap item; the injected controls are keyboard-tested by hand in the meantime.
- 1.0.0 features carry self-assessed notes only. Mind Map, Maths Support, the rebuilt citation manager, the flat popup and the Companion previews have not been through a separate criterion-by-criterion evaluation pass.
- The host page is not ours. If Canvas, Moodle or a lecturer's PDF is inaccessible, AssisT can help a student work with it but cannot fix it. Nothing in this report speaks to the accessibility of the platforms AssisT runs on.
Report an Accessibility Issue
Email [email protected]. Please include:
- The AssisT version (Popup → About)
- Browser and operating system
- A description of the issue and the steps to reproduce it
- Whether assistive technology was in use, and which product and version
We acknowledge accessibility reports within 5 working days. That is an acknowledgement, not a fix date — a fix date depends on what the problem turns out to be, and we will tell you what we think it is when we acknowledge. Reports from disability services and from students using assistive technology go to the front of the queue. General bugs and questions go to [email protected] or GitHub issues; the support commitments set out what to expect.
Documents and Source
0.9.3 VPAT 2.5 (Markdown) — the basis for the tables above View on GitHub →
Source code (EUPL-1.2) github.com/Fiavaion/AssisT →
Privacy and data-processing statement Read the privacy policy →
Adoption pack for learning support and disability services Open the adoption pack →
Legal: this report is provided in good faith as a self-assessment by the developer. Fiavaion makes no legal representation or warranty regarding absolute conformance with WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, Section 508 or any other accessibility standard, and this document is not an independent audit. Readers should conduct their own testing where a procurement decision depends on a specific conformance claim. Report published under CC BY 4.0; product under EUPL-1.2. Report date 13 September 2026; supersedes the 0.9.3 VPAT of 28 May 2026.