Accessibility Statement
Our commitment
PlumbMate is committed to making this platform accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities. We want every student studying City & Guilds Level 2 Plumbing (Units 201–210) to be able to use PlumbMate fully and independently, regardless of how they access the web.
We are working towards conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 at Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Compliance status
PlumbMate is partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA. The known issues listed below do not yet fully meet the standard; all other areas of the platform have been reviewed and addressed.
What we have done
The following accessibility improvements have been made across all quiz, revision test, unit, and homepage pages:
| Area | Criterion | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Colour contrast — all buttons, text, and interactive elements | 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | Fixed |
| Skip navigation link on every page | 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | Fixed |
| Descriptive page titles on all pages | 2.4.2 Page Titled | Fixed |
Decorative emojis hidden from screen readers using aria-hidden |
1.1.1 Non-text Content | Fixed |
| Decorative SVG background diagrams hidden from screen readers | 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Fixed |
Flag-for-review buttons are toggle buttons that expose their pressed state to screen readers via aria-pressed, and also change their visible label from "Flag" to "Flagged" when activated |
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Fixed |
| Keyboard focus indicators on all interactive elements | 2.4.7 Focus Visible | Fixed |
| Scroll padding prevents keyboard-focused elements hiding behind fixed header and floating bars | 2.4.3 Focus Order | Fixed |
All pages have lang="en" declared |
3.1.1 Language of Page | Fixed |
| Quiz answer options are navigable and selectable via keyboard | 2.1.1 Keyboard | Implemented |
| Font sizes use relative units; content reflows at 320px viewport width | 1.4.4 Resize Text / 1.4.10 Reflow | Implemented |
| Login uses standard email and password fields with no CAPTCHA | 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication | Implemented |
Animations respect prefers-reduced-motion setting |
2.3.3 Animation from Interactions | Implemented |
| Focus indicators meet minimum 2px perimeter requirement on all interactive elements | 2.4.11 Focus Appearance (WCAG 2.2) | Implemented |
| All interactive targets (buttons, links, cards) meet the 24×24 CSS pixel minimum size | 2.5.8 Target Size Minimum (WCAG 2.2) | Implemented |
| The feedback/help button appears consistently in the same location on every page | 3.2.6 Consistent Help (WCAG 2.2) | Implemented |
| Login page does not use CAPTCHA or cognitive puzzles; supports password manager autofill | 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (WCAG 2.2) | Implemented |
Each quiz question's answer options are grouped with role="radiogroup" and labelled by the question text via aria-labelledby, so screen-reader users hear the question when they reach the answers |
1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Implemented |
Quiz and test result messages are announced to screen readers when they appear, using aria-live="polite" |
4.1.3 Status Messages | Fixed |
| Heading levels on quiz pages corrected so the order is logical with no skipped levels | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Fixed |
| Quiz question images carry descriptive alternative text across every unit, written onto the image element so screen readers announce what each picture shows | 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Fixed |
Known issues
The following issues have been identified and are being worked on:
| Issue | Criterion | Status |
|---|---|---|
| A June 2026 code-level review of the interactive "build the system" drag-and-drop labelling exercise and the learning games found that the drag-and-drop interaction relies on pointer/mouse events with no keyboard alternative, and that several game tiles are focusable but cannot yet be activated with the keyboard. These components are therefore not currently operable by keyboard alone. Full assistive-technology (screen-reader) testing is still to be carried out. | 2.1.1 Keyboard / 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Known limitation |
How we tested this platform
PlumbMate was assessed by the development team in March 2026, with a further review in June 2026. Testing included:
- Manual WCAG 2.2 AA checklist review of all page types (homepage, unit pages, quiz pages, revision tests)
- Colour contrast ratio calculations for all text and interactive elements using WCAG formulae
- Keyboard-only navigation testing across all quiz and revision pages
- June 2026 code-level review of keyboard support in the interactive drawing/labelling exercises and learning games (findings recorded under Known issues)
- June 2026 code-level audit confirming every quiz question image across all units carries descriptive alternative text, applied to the rendered image element
- Review of HTML source code for correct use of ARIA attributes, landmark regions, and semantic structure
- Review against WCAG 2.2 new criteria (2.4.11, 2.4.13, 2.5.7, 2.5.8, 3.2.6, 3.3.7, 3.3.8)
We have not yet carried out testing with assistive technology users or screen reader software. We intend to do this as part of a future review.
Feedback and contact
If you experience any accessibility barriers using PlumbMate, or if you find content that is not accessible, we want to hear from you.
Use the Help Improve PlumbMate feedback form to report an accessibility issue.
We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 working days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information
PlumbMate is built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and is hosted on Google Firebase. It is designed to work in modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile devices.
This statement was prepared on 19 March 2026 and will be reviewed following any significant update to the platform, and at least annually.