ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
Expressoul firmly believes that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and we are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.
We invest significant time and resources into developing features and making updates to our websites including www.expressoulcoffee.com, hereafter referred to as ‘the website’ with the intent that it is made easier to use and more accessible for people with disabilities, with the strong belief that website accessibility efforts assist all users and that every person has the right to live with dignity, equality, comfort and independence.
COMPLIANCE STATUS
The website leverages a dedicated accessibility server, referred to below as the accessibility widget or interface. The software allows Expressoul to improve its compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1). Our goal is to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities.
Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
The website utilizes various technologies including an AI-powered accessibility compliance solution to make it as accessible as possible. We also regularly audit the website and work towards maintaining accessibility compliance when deploying new site features. In addition, we leverage accessibility tools to monitor accessibility compliance and continually perform updates to functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you wish to contact us regarding any accessibility issues you encounter or suggestions to improve accessibility functionality please email us at support@expressoul.com.
SCREEN-READER AND KEYBOARD NAVIGATION
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions.
Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements:
- Screen-reader optimization
- We leverage automated and manual testing tools to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide descriptive form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others.
- Additionally, our QA team audits to ensure accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. This is compatible with all popular screen readers.
- Keyboard navigation optimization
- We also audit and QA our page source HTML, and add various behaviors using JavaScript to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.
- Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking TAB, as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. You can also active the accessibility widget at any time by pressing the CTRL + U keys. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow focus drift outside of it.
DISABILITY PROFILES SUPPORTED IN OUR WEBSITE
-
Epilepsy Safe Profile: The Pause Animations feature enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
-
Visually Impaired Profile: This profile adjusts the website so that it is accessible to the majority of visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others. To access, press the CTRL + U keys to access the widget, or press the tab key once the page has loaded to navigate to the quick menu.
-
Cognitive Disability Profile: This profile provides various assistive features to help users with cognitive disabilities such as Autism, Dyslexia, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements more easily. To access, press the CTRL + U keys to access the widget, or press the tab key once the page has loaded to navigate to the quick menu. Select the Dyslexia Friendly (Df) option from the menu.
-
ADHD Friendly Profiles: These profiles significantly reduce distraction and noise, to help people with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders browse, read, and focus on the essential elements more easily. To access, press the CTRL + U keys to access the widget, or press the tab key once the page has loaded to navigate to the quick menu. Select one of 4 Contrast options, Invert Colors, Dark Contrast, Light Contrast, Desaturate
-
Blind Users Profile (Screen Reader): A screen-reader is installed on the blind user’s computer, and this site is compatible with it. To access, press the CTRL + U keys to access the widget, or press the tab key once the page has loaded to navigate to the quick menu. Select Screen Reader via keyboard navigation and one of three reading pace options, Read Normal, Read Fast, or Read Slow.
-
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys.
ADDITIONAL CONTROLS FOR UI, DESIGN, AND READABILITY ADJUSTMENTS
-
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease font size easily via the ‘Bigger Text’ widget option
-
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles: Invert Colors, Dark Contrast, Light Contrast, and Desaturate.
-
Pause Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
-
Link highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links by selecting the Highlight Links option.
-
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others. This option is accessible directly via the widget.
-
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a reading guide, enable tooltips, view page structure, and many other functions.
BROWSER AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMPATIBILITY
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, both for Windows and for MAC users.
NOTES, COMMENTS, AND FEEDBACK
Despite our very best efforts to provide an equal, accessible experience to all users, and allow anyone to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible.
Due to this we are continually improving our website accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. If you wish to contact us to provide accessibility feedback or other accessibility related requests, please email us at support@expressoul.com, or by mail at:
Expressoul Coffee
[Re: Privacy Compliance Officer]
1234 Jacson 33-333
Miami, FL 33333
