WCAG #2 – 994 accessibility fixes, one compliant platform

Introduction:    

ArdentCode has partnered with Wolters Kluwer for several years, and their latest need was to ensure that their flagship legal research platform, VitalLaw (formerly Cheetah™), meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards. This was a challenging task due to the large-scale, long-term nature of the project. 

Focus: 

  • Ensuring that VitalLaw complies with WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards as recently more laws focus on web accessibility compliance. 
  • Addressing all accessibility issues identified by an external audit. 
  • Utilizing the ArdentCode team to implement the necessary fixes. 

Objective:   

To ensure that VitalLaw meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards, to enhance accessibility and compliance, thereby improving user experience and ensuring compliance with legal requirements. 

Needs:  

  1. Ensuring that VitalLaw complies with WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards, especially as more laws nowadays focus on web accessibility compliance. 
  1. Fix all identified accessibility issues in the VitalLaw platform. 

Approach:  

  1. An external company conducted a thorough audit to identify accessibility issues. 
  1. The ArdentCode team addressed all 994 reported issues, creating Jira tickets for each WCAG success criterion. 
  1. External dependencies were resolved in collaboration with various teams 
  1. Fixes were implemented in areas such as keyboard accessibility, colour contrast, HTML semantics and many others. 
  1. Merged PRs covering some of the work, with ongoing efforts to fix issues, including those awaiting solutions from UI/UX designers and other teams responsible for external dependencies. 

Key changes: 

  • Jira tickets were created for each WCAG success criterion, allowing developers to dive deeper into specific requirements. 
  • All issues that could be fixed in the main repository of the project were addressed and fixed. 
  • External dependencies were resolved in collaboration with various teams. 

Results:  

  1. 994 accessibility issues were identified and addressed. 
  1. Improved compliance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards. 
  1. Enhanced user experience for all users, including those with disabilities. 
  1. Strengthened Wolters Kluwer’s reputation for accessibility and compliance. 
  1. Contributed to a more inclusive digital environment, in line with global accessibility standards. 

Conclusion:  

Our collaboration with Wolters Kluwer has significantly improved the accessibility of their VitalLaw platform, demonstrating ArdentCode’s capability to handle complex accessibility challenges and deliver compliant solutions. This project highlights our commitment to creating inclusive digital experiences.