Accessibility

Scholise is committed to making our research platform accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level.

1. Keyboard navigation

All interactive elements — buttons, links, form fields, modals, and tab panels — are accessible via keyboard. You can navigate the application using Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Escape, and arrow keys without requiring a mouse.

2. Colour and contrast

We use a colour palette designed to meet WCAG AA contrast ratios (at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text). Our interface avoids relying on colour alone to convey information — icons, labels, and text are used alongside colour indicators.

3. Semantic HTML

Scholise uses semantic HTML elements — headings, landmarks, lists, tables, and form labels — so that assistive technologies can correctly interpret page structure and content relationships.

4. Focus states

Interactive elements display visible focus indicators when navigated via keyboard. Focus rings use sufficient contrast and are never hidden by default.

5. Reduced motion

If you have the "prefers-reduced-motion" setting enabled in your operating system, Scholise will minimise or disable animations and transitions throughout the application.

6. Screen reader support

We use ARIA attributes where native HTML semantics are insufficient. Interactive components include appropriate roles, labels, and live region announcements. We test with VoiceOver (macOS/iOS) and aim for compatibility with NVDA and JAWS on Windows.

7. Text sizing

All text is set in relative units (rem/em) and scales with browser zoom. The application remains usable at up to 200% zoom without horizontal scrolling on standard viewport widths.

8. Known limitations

We are continuously improving accessibility. Currently known limitations include:

• Some third-party embedded content (e.g. Stripe checkout) may have accessibility characteristics outside our control.
• Complex data tables (evidence table with many columns) may be difficult to navigate with screen readers on small viewports. We recommend using a wider screen or landscape orientation for these views.
• PDF and document previews, if added in future, may not be fully accessible.

9. How to report issues

If you encounter an accessibility barrier or have suggestions for improvement, we want to hear from you:

• Email: support@scholise.com
• Subject line: "Accessibility issue" so we can prioritise your report.

Please include the page or feature where you encountered the issue, the assistive technology you were using (if applicable), and a description of the problem. We aim to acknowledge reports within 3 business days and resolve issues as quickly as possible.

10. Ongoing commitment

Accessibility is not a one-time effort. We regularly review our application, incorporate user feedback, and update our practices as standards evolve. Our goal is to ensure Scholise works well for everyone.