Let’s talk accessibility.
We’re proud that the Submittable platform is accessible to submitters of different abilities, and you should be too. Why? Because good accessibility means better usability for everyone. Which means you’ve chosen a software that creates great experiences for the people interacting with it, reflecting well on your organization and extending the reach of your mission. Pat yourself on the back!
However, it’s important to note that while much accessibility is built into the functionality of the platform (like auto save and mobile-friendliness), other pieces come from choices that you make as a program admin (like clear guidelines).
One of Submittable’s accessibility principles is continued learning. So in that spirit, today let’s do a refresher on how you can assess the accessibility of your program, and some easy steps to take to improve it.
Assess your form
A key goal of this assessment is to check in on whether your form makes sense. We recommend you pretend to be an applicant, from start to finish.
If your program is already live, go ahead and navigate to it as a submitter would.
If it’s not, try duplicating it, setting it to hidden, and following that hidden link to do the same. (You could also just set it live and mark it as hidden if you don’t wish to duplicate it.)
When you’re ready, walk through the questions below for a basic accessibility assessment.
Do you have clear guidelines?
Make sure your guidelines specify what the program is, who is eligible, and any other relevant information. Especially if your form is long, it’s also a best practice to include an estimate of how long it will take to fill out.
Do your guidelines utilize H1, H2 and H3 headers?
H1, H2 and H3 are designations for text headings in a hierarchical order, with H1 being the most prominent (for your top headline) and H2 and H3 being subsequently lower in prominence. Using H1, H2 and H3 appropriately in the rich text editor improves the experience of people using screen readers and keyboard navigation.
Have you given a good Alt Text description for images?
Submittable requires Alt Text for images. Make yours short and to the point, and avoid using language such as “image of” (since screen readers will already make that clear!).
Are questions clear and specific?
Be precise, such as using “First name” or “Last name” instead of “Name.”
Are questions grouped in a logical order?
Your form should group related questions together, such as personal and contact information in one section, and budget information in another.
Are you using question-level instructions?
Provide specific instructions for individual questions contextually when necessary.
Are you accepting file uploads?
Some people communicate better over video or audio. Be sure that you are making that option available.
Have you enabled collaboration?
Real-time collaboration means that your submitter won’t necessarily have to handle every part of the application alone, allowing for support from colleagues who may be responsible for some areas, or help from others.
Extra credit
Since you are super familiar with your program, it is a good idea to ask someone who is not super familiar with it to go through the form as an applicant, and to let you know if anything was confusing to them. So ask your partner, your child, or a friend to walk through it for you and provide you with feedback!
If possible, of course, it is always advisable to invite people with different abilities to give you feedback as well. This is especially important if your program serves any particular population.
How we assess technical accessibility
Technical accessibility is determined by conformance to the standards set out by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Submittable obtains what is called a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or VPAT, which is created by a third party vendor and outlines how well the product conforms to those standards, and then informs our Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). Submittable’s most recent ACR, from June of this year, was conducted by leading service provider Level Access and once more affirmed that Submittable conforms or partially conforms to the guidelines set out by WCAG 2.2 Level A and Level AA (for applicants).
It's not a one and done
Please note that this is not a comprehensive assessment, and this check in won’t make it possible for everyone to be successful with your form. However, it could help you spot problem areas which can help you improve. We see this as about continued learning—we’re continually trying to improve accessibility on our end, and we hope you’ll see that as a shared responsibility on your end, too. Read more about our part here.
That’s all for today, folks. Thanks for joining us on the journey of making the amazing programs that this community puts out in the world more welcoming to all.