Accessibility Statement

ShinyMind Ltd is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for as many disabled and impaired people as possible. 

Measures to Support Accessibility relating to the ShinyMind App

ShinyMind Ltd has commissioned an external accessibility assessment and an accessibility statement for ShinyMind App users.

This will make users with different needs aware of the level of accessibility and limitations of the ShinyMind App. 

The accessibility statement will also provide the name and contact details of the dedicated accessibility officer at ShinyMind for feedback and further assistance if required.

Conformance Status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

There are three levels of conformance within the four success criteria principles Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust:

Level A,
Level AA, and
Level AAA.

The standard for web accessibility in the UK is WCAG 2.1 Level A & AA. 

The ShinyMind App platform is currently partially non-conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level A & AA. The following issues have been found during accessibility testing of the Apple iOS version on a Safari browser and the use of the VoiceOver screen reader: 

Perceivable Success Criteria Issues

• 1.1.1 Non-text content – descriptions for some elements are missing or incorrect. Some actions are not announced to assistive technology (AT) users.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers.
  
• 1.2.3 Audio descriptions – Transcripts are missing for audio content.
  Affected users: hearing impaired.
   
• 1.3.1 Info & Relationships – Labels, links, buttons, groups, tool tips are missing information for AT users.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers.
  
• 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence – Visual order for some elements is not the same as the reading order & hidden content is read out. Some actions are not as expected.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers.
  
• 1.4.1 Use of colour – Some elements use colour as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.
  Affected users: visual – low vision & screen readers, cognitive conditions.
  
• 1.4.3 Contrast  – the contrast ratio of text and interactive elements is widely insufficient. It does not meet the 4.5:1 required minimum status.
  Affected users: visual – low vision, cognitive conditions.
  
• 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast – the background colour contrast is insufficient.
  Affected users: visual – low vision, cognitive conditions.
  
• 1.4.4 Resize text – zooming text is not possible.
  Affected users: visual – low vision, cognitive conditions.
  

Operable Success Criteria Issues 

• 2.1.1 Keyboard/Swipe/Tap navigation and operation – The functionality provided for some elements is not operable with swiping/tapping action.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers, motor impaired, cognitive conditions.
  
• 2.2.2 Pause, Stop – some videos do not have pause, play, stop function as they play automatically.
  Affected users: AT users & cognitive conditions.
  
• 2.4.3 Focus order – The focus order is either hidden, missing or incorrect.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers, motor impaired
  
• 2.4.4 Link Purpose – The purpose of some links is not clear or not announced to the AT user.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers, cognitive conditions
  
• 2.4.6 Headings & Labels – Some headings are missing which creates unclear structure of screen.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers & cognitive conditions
  
• 2.5.1& 2.5.8  Touch Target & Target Size – some touch targets are too small.
  Affected users: AT users, motor-impaired & cognitive conditions.

Understandable Success Criteria Issues

• 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation – Escape gestures (z gestures) are not implemented to perform back operations.
  Affected users: all.
• 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions – some labels and instructions are not clearly visible or read out to the screen reader where content requires user input.
  Affected users: visual – screen reader, low vision, cognitive conditions
  

Robust Success Criteria Issues

• 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value – for some user interface components, the name and role cannot be determined by assistive technology. States, properties and values that cannot be set by the user, and notification of changes to these items is not available to user agents, including assistive technologies.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers.
  
• 4.1.3 Status Messages – status messages cannot be determined through role or properties as they are not presented to the user by assistive technologies.
  Affected users: visual – screen readers.

Please refer to the ‘Known Limitations’ section below to see which of the app screens and actions are affected.

Feedback

We would love to get the feedback from ShinyMind users on the accessibility of the ShinyMind App platform. Please let us know if you encounter further accessibility barriers on our app so that we can help you and others who may be experiencing the same:

• E-mail: jon@shinymind.co.uk

We try to respond to feedback within 5 business days.

Compatibility with Browsers and Assistive Technology 

The ShinyMind App app platform was tested for accessibility using Apple iOS with a Safari browser and VoiceOver screen reader. It was found to be only partially compatible with the screen reader and is not expected to be fully compatible with the Android operating system and its browser and screen reader.

Remediation action is taken in 2023. The app platform is expected to be compatible with the following after all remediation action has been taken:

All up-to-date versions of Apple iOS and Android with respective browsers and screen readers.

The ShinyMind app platform cannot be expected to be not compatible with:

• Any versions of Apple iOS and Android that are older than 5 years or browsers that are older than 3 major versions.

Limitations 

The accessibility of the ShinyMind App platform has limitations for assistive technology users. Below is a description of known limitations within certain screens and actions on the platform. 

Please contact the accessibility officer at Shinymind Ltd if you observe an issue not listed below.

Any third-party software installed on the ShinyMind App platform currently or in the future may not be standards compliant.  Shinymind Ltd is unable to make changes to their platforms.  This needs to be done by the third-party providers.  Please contact Shinymind Ltd directly if you require their contact details.

Known limitations for the ShinyMind App Platform

The ShinyMind App platform was intended to be designed and developed in accordance with the four WCAG principles – perceivable, operable, understandable, robust – and with a broad spectrum of physical, cognitive and situational limitations in mind. Some best practice issues and violations were discovered during a WCAG conformance and usability assessment. These issues are being addressed in a step-by-step process during 2023 and are listed below for user information.

Shinymind Ltd would make any user affected by different access requirements aware of the following known limitations on individual app screens. Assistive technology users in particular would need assistance with the use of the following screens and actions on the platform:

• Log-in – issues with info and relationships, contrast ratios, focus order, labels, name, role, value and status messages.
• Home – issues with meaningful sequence, pause & stop of video and name, role, value.
• Daily Shine – issues with contrast ratios, headings & labels, touch target, name, role, value, and status messages.
• Personal Area (emoji) – issues with info and relationships, contrast ratios, focus order, and link purpose.
• My Account – issues with info and relationships, contrast ratio, touch target, name, role, value, and status messages.
• My Friends – issues with info and relationships, meaningful sequence, touch target, and name, role, value. 
• My Gratitude – issues with info and relationships, labels, and name, role, value.
• My Journal – issues with info and relationships, headings and labels, and name, role, value.
• My Resilience Board – issues with contrast ratio, touch target, name, role, value, and status messages.
• My Life Compass – issues with non-text content, meaningful sequence, labels, and status messages.
  My Triggers – issues with meaningful sequence, name, role, value, and status messages.
  My Coping Well – issues with info and relationships, and name, role, value.
  Leave Feedback – issues with focus order and link purpose.
  Replay Tour – issues with name, role, value.
  Log out – issues with touch target, and name, role, value.
  Masterclasses – issues with audio description, meaningful sequence, contrast ratios, non-text contrast ratios, keyboard (swipe), focus order, and name, role, value.
  Messages – issues with non-text content, info and relationships, focus order, and name, role, value.
  Notifications – issues with info and relationships, use of colour, keyboard (swipe), focus order, headings and labels, target size, and name, role, value.
  Helping Hand – issues with info and relationships, pause, stop, headings and labels, and name, role, value.
  All screens in the app – issues with meaningful sequence, resize text, and consistent navigation.
  All buttons in the app – issues with name, role, value.

Summary: Users who are motor, hearing or cognitively impaired and assistive technology (screen reader) users will need help when using this app.

Assessment Approach

KreativeInc Agency Ltd assessed the accessibility of the ShinyMind App platform in February 2023 by the following approaches:

• Manual assessments using visual testing. 
• VoiceOver screen reader testing by a blind auditor.

A full app accessibility audit report has been submitted to Shinymind Ltd on the 28^th of February 2023, listing WCAG 2.1 Level A & AA violations, best practice failures and recommended remediation solutions to be undertaken by the ShinyMind App developers.

Formal Approval of this Accessibility Statement

This Accessibility Statement is approved by:

Shinymind Ltd 
Jon Howard
Director 

Date of last approval/adjustments made: 6^th April 2023

Formal Complaints

Shinymind Ltd aims to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 business days and to propose a solution within 10 business days.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).