Conformance statement

Catylst is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We continually work to improve the user experience for everyone and apply the relevant accessibility standards across every interactive surface of our platform.

We aim to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.

Our conformance target applies to all authenticated product screens, all marketing pages, transactional emails, and PDF grant recommendation packages generated by the platform.

How we test

Accessibility is not an afterthought at Catylst. It is embedded into every stage of our design and development process. We employ a multi-layered testing strategy that combines automated tooling with manual human evaluation.

Automated testing

Every pull request runs automated accessibility checks using axe-core integrated into our continuous integration pipeline. These checks enforce zero violations before code can be merged. We also run scheduled full-site audits using Lighthouse to catch regressions across the entire application.

Manual testing

Automated tools catch approximately 30-40% of accessibility issues. We supplement them with manual testing by trained team members who evaluate keyboard navigation flow, screen reader announcement quality, focus management in modals and dynamic content, and logical reading order across complex layouts.

Assistive technology testing

We test regularly with the following assistive technologies:

• VoiceOver on macOS and iOS (Safari)
• NVDA on Windows (Chrome and Firefox)
• JAWS on Windows (Chrome)
• TalkBack on Android (Chrome)

We also verify functionality with voice control software (Voice Control on macOS, Dragon NaturallySpeaking) and switch access devices.

Keyboard navigation

Every interactive element on Catylst is fully operable using a keyboard alone. This includes navigation menus, form inputs, buttons, links, tabs, modals, dropdowns, accordion panels, and data tables.

Key behaviors we guarantee:

• Tab moves focus forward through interactive elements in a logical, predictable order
• Shift + Tab moves focus backward
• Enter and Space activate buttons and links
• Escape closes modals, dropdowns, and overlays, returning focus to the triggering element
• Arrow keys navigate within tab groups, radio groups, and dropdown menus

Every interactive element displays a visible focus indicator -- a 3px glow ring using our accent color -- when navigated to via keyboard. This indicator is never suppressed on any screen.

Color contrast approach

All text and interactive controls on Catylst meet WCAG 2.2 AA minimum contrast ratios:

• Normal text (under 18px or under 14px bold): 4.5:1 contrast ratio minimum
• Large text (18px and above, or 14px bold and above): 3:1 contrast ratio minimum
• Interactive UI components and graphical objects: 3:1 contrast ratio minimum against adjacent colors

Our primary text color (--color-neutral-900) achieves a 16.93:1 ratio against our light backgrounds. Our brand accent color Mindaro (--color-accent-400) is never used as text on light backgrounds, where it would fail contrast requirements. When accent-colored text is necessary on light surfaces, we use the darker --color-accent-600 which achieves a 4.54:1 ratio.

Color is never the sole means of conveying information. Status indicators always pair color with text labels and icons. Error states combine red borders with descriptive text messages. Charts and data visualizations include text alternatives and are designed to remain distinguishable by users with color vision deficiencies.

Motion sensitivity

Catylst respects the prefers-reduced-motion operating system setting. When a user has indicated they prefer reduced motion:

• All CSS transitions and animations are reduced to near-instantaneous durations
• Entrance animations (fade-in, slide-up) are disabled entirely
• Scroll-triggered counter animations display their final values immediately
• Carousel transitions use instant switching rather than sliding

No content on Catylst auto-plays, auto-advances, or loops without user initiation. Carousels require manual navigation. Background videos, if ever introduced, will be paused by default with an explicit play control.

Content structure and semantics

All pages use proper semantic HTML with landmark regions (<nav>, <main>, <footer>, <aside>) to help assistive technology users navigate efficiently. Heading levels follow a strict hierarchy without skipping levels, providing a reliable document outline.

Dynamic content updates are announced to screen readers using ARIA live regions. Form validation errors are associated with their fields using aria-describedby, and required fields are marked with aria-required in addition to visual indicators.

All images include descriptive alt text. Decorative images are marked with aria-hidden="true" or use empty alt attributes. Complex data visualizations include text-based alternatives.

Known limitations

While we strive for full accessibility, some areas may have temporary limitations:

• PDF grant packages: Automatically generated PDF documents are tagged for accessibility but may not achieve the same level of screen reader optimization as our web interface. We offer HTML-based alternatives for all critical PDF content.
• Third-party integrations: Some embedded third-party content (such as payment processing forms provided by Stripe) may have accessibility characteristics outside our direct control. We select partners who demonstrate strong accessibility commitments and escalate issues we identify.

We actively work to resolve known limitations and track progress in our internal accessibility backlog.

Feedback and reporting issues

We welcome feedback about the accessibility of Catylst. If you encounter an accessibility barrier or have suggestions for improvement, we want to hear from you.

When reporting an issue, please include:

• The page URL where you experienced the issue
• A description of what you were trying to do
• The assistive technology you were using (if applicable)
• Your browser and operating system

We respond to accessibility feedback within five business days and prioritize fixes based on severity and user impact.

This accessibility statement was last reviewed on April 15, 2026. We review and update this statement at least annually, or whenever significant changes are made to the platform.