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Apr 8, 2026

AtoM Heratio — Accessibility Feature Overview

Product: AtoM Heratio Framework v2.8.2 Component: WCAG 2.1 Level AA Accessibility Date: 16 March 2026 Author: The Archive and Heritage Group (Pty) Ltd

What It Does

AtoM Heratio provides built-in accessibility features that ensure archival content is usable by people with disabilities, including those who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice control, or assistive technologies. The system conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA — the internationally recognised standard for web accessibility.

Key Features

Automatic Accessibility Enhancements

  • Global injection — accessibility features are loaded on every page via the theme layout, requiring no per-plugin configuration
  • Auto-scoped table headers — scope="col" and scope="row" attributes are automatically added to all data tables
  • Auto-required fields — aria-required="true" is automatically set on all required form inputs
  • Auto-labelled checkboxes — batch selection checkboxes without labels are automatically given descriptive aria-label attributes
  • Real-time form validation — aria-invalid and aria-describedby attributes are dynamically synchronised with Bootstrap validation states

Screen Reader Support

  • ARIA landmarks — banner, main, navigation, complementary, and contentinfo roles for efficient page navigation
  • ARIA live region — dynamic content changes (AJAX updates, notifications) are announced to screen readers
  • Collapsible facets — filter panels expose aria-expanded, aria-controls, and role="button" for full state awareness
  • Semantic headings — correct heading hierarchy (h1 > h2 > h3) across all pages

Keyboard Navigation

  • Full keyboard access — all interactive elements (buttons, links, facets, modals) reachable via Tab
  • Visible focus indicators — 3px blue outline on all focused elements
  • Skip navigation — bypass repetitive header content with a single keypress
  • Escape key — closes open modals and dropdowns
  • Keyboard shortcuts — Ctrl+Shift+V (toggle voice), Ctrl+Shift+H (voice help)

Visual Accessibility

  • Colour contrast — all text meets the WCAG AA minimum contrast ratio (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text)
  • Reduced motion — animations and transitions are disabled for users who prefer reduced motion (prefers-reduced-motion)
  • High contrast mode — borders and focus indicators are preserved in Windows High Contrast and forced-colours mode
  • Responsive design — accessible across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices

Voice Commands (Optional)

  • Voice navigation — navigate pages, search, and browse by speaking commands
  • Voice dictation — dictate into any text field with punctuation support
  • AI image description — generate image descriptions via local LLM (LLaVA) — fully offline, no cloud dependency
  • Enable/disable — toggle voice commands via spoken command or typed input (right-click mic button)
  • 11 languages supported — English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and more

Accessibility Statement

  • Built-in accessibility statement page linked from the site footer
  • Documents conformance status, features, known limitations, and contact information

Compliance and Standards

Standard Conformance
WCAG 2.1 Level A Full
WCAG 2.1 Level AA Full (with documented exceptions for base AtoM legacy pages)
WAI-ARIA 1.1 Full
Section 508 (US) Aligned
EN 301 549 (EU) Aligned

Automated Testing

Accessibility is continuously verified using axe-core via Playwright:

  • 11 automated test cases covering homepage, browse, search, admin, ARIA attributes, landmarks, live regions, table scopes, and CSS media queries
  • Tests run against WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria
  • Known base-system limitations are documented and excluded from pass/fail

Technical Requirements

  • Server: PHP 8.3, MySQL 8, Elasticsearch 7.x
  • Browser: Chrome 90+, Edge 90+, Safari 15+, Firefox 90+
  • Voice commands: HTTPS required, Chrome/Edge recommended (Web Speech API)
  • AI image description: Ollama with LLaVA:7b model (optional, runs locally)

Who Benefits

  • Visually impaired users — screen reader support, alt text, colour contrast, high contrast mode
  • Motor impaired users — full keyboard navigation, voice commands, large click targets
  • Cognitively impaired users — clear headings, predictable navigation, reduced motion
  • Institutions — compliance with accessibility legislation (ADA, GDPR, POPIA, Section 508)
  • GLAM sector — archives, libraries, museums, and galleries serving diverse public audiences

For technical implementation details, see the Accessibility Statement. For questions or feedback, contact johan@theahg.co.za.