Accessibility

Where we stand legally

The European Accessibility Act, implemented in Germany by the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, places accessibility obligations on certain consumer-facing digital services. Microenterprises providing services are exempted from those obligations, and Aliquot is operated well below that threshold, so we are most likely outside the scope of the statutory duty.

We are publishing this anyway, because “probably exempt” is a poor answer to a student who cannot use a tool their course expects them to use. Treat it as a commitment, not a compliance document.

Target

WCAG 2.2 level AA is the standard we work to. We do not claim to have reached it everywhere, and no third party has audited it.

What is actually implemented

• Full keyboard operation of every calculator, the navigation, the command palette, and the assistant.
• Visible focus outlines on every control, including on the glass and gradient surfaces where a browser default would disappear.
• Body and secondary text colours chosen to clear the 4.5:1 contrast ratio in both light and dark themes; the secondary greys were darkened specifically because they failed.
• Touch targets of at least 44 pixels on coarse pointers, per WCAG 2.5.5.
• Motion is opt-in and respects prefers-reduced-motion: the calm, static interface is the default and the fallback, so nothing is only visible after an animation.
• Form inputs at 16 pixels or larger on phones, so iOS does not zoom the viewport when you focus a field.
• Screen-reader handling of streamed assistant replies: the transcript is not announced token by token, and the completed answer is announced once, which is the difference between usable and unbearable.
• Semantic headings, labelled controls, live regions for status rather than for content, and alt text on meaningful images.
• Safe-area handling so content is never trapped under a notch or a home indicator.

Known shortfalls, honestly

• Chemical structure diagrams are rendered as vector drawings with no textual description of the structure. A blind user gets the name and formula but not the connectivity.
• Some data tables are wide and scroll horizontally on a phone. They are reachable, but the experience is poor with a screen magnifier.
• The GHS pictogram grid conveys hazard partly through recognisable imagery; the text is present, but the images carry weight.
• Label scanning depends on a camera and on legible print. There is a paste-text path for exactly this reason, and it is a first-class alternative rather than a fallback.
• No formal audit, and no testing with a broad panel of assistive technology users. Testing has been done with keyboard, zoom, and VoiceOver only.

Tell us and it gets fixed

If something here blocks you, write to hello@aliquotchem.com and say what you were trying to do and what got in the way. Accessibility reports go to the front of the queue, ahead of features, because somebody is currently unable to use a thing they need.

If you need a calculation and cannot get at it, say so in the email and we will simply do it for you and send the working back. That is not a substitute for fixing the interface, and we will do both.

Alternatives that already exist

Every result has a plain-text and Markdown export, which is often the most accessible form of it. The reference tables under Reference are static HTML with no interaction required, and the how-to pages explain each calculation in prose so the formula is available without operating a widget.