Version 1.0 - Updated 31 October 2019
This accessibility statement applies to Sage Accounting, a web-based accounting product for sole traders and small business owners.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use Sage Accounting. For example, that means you should be able to:
AbilityNet also has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Important note:
Sage Accounting is currently updating the technology used to build this product. We’re bringing in improved accessibility support as we go, but not all features benefit from this technology yet.
We know some parts of this product are not currently fully accessible.
There are several other improvements we could make to our code to help the product work as well as it can for everyone.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
We would like all objects on a page that have meaning to have a text alternative. However, sometimes text alternatives aren’t available, they aren’t easy to understand, or they don’t match what is presented visually. We’re working to fix this by replacing older code and resolving identified bugs.
We would like the type of each field on the page to be apparent in code so fields can be presented in the most useful way to users, but this isn’t the case right now. To fix this, we’re working on updating the code for all fields.
Sometimes we intentionally disable autocomplete where it wouldn’t be helpful.
We would like the visual presentation of text to have good contrast against background colours to support people with visual impairments. However, in some places, this isn’t the case. To fix this, we’re working on improved visual styles and phasing out the use of placeholder text.
We would like the visual presentation of everything that’s interactive to have good contrast against background colours to support people with visual impairments. However, in some places, this isn’t the case. To fix this, we’re working on improved visual styles.
We would like everything that’s interactive to be accessible using the keyboard alone. However, our site navigation, tables, and some buttons aren’t yet keyboard accessible. To fix this, we’re working on new navigation, tables, and buttons.
We would like to avoid situations where you might get stuck if using the product with the keyboard alone. Right now, tabbing to the end of some message boxes means keyboard focus is lost and you need to press the Esc key to exit. To fix this, we’re rebuilding our message boxes.
We would like to provide features in code to allow users to bypass repeated blocks of content, for example, navigation that appears on every page, as this may help some users. These features aren't present in the product today, but we’ll add them.
When using the tab button to move around, we would like the sequence of movement to be logical. However, our testing revealed some situations in which the order isn’t as we’d expect. We’re working to fix this.
We would like to offer users more than one way to navigate around the product. However, today we only provide navigation menus. To fix this, we’re investigating adding features like a search.
We would like the text we use for the labels of fields to be the same as the text we use for the field’s name in code to support speech input or text-to-speech users. While the code does contain the label text, it is combined with other content that makes it difficult to understand. To fix this, we’ll use different naming conventions.
We would like to set the language of each page in code so content is always presented correctly. This code isn’t present in the product today, but we plan to add it.
We would like all errors to be apparent, especially if you use a screen reader. However, errors that appear after certain actions aren’t always apparent. To fix this, we’re working on a new error messages, and reviewing the mechanism we use to present errors.
We would like people to receive appropriate suggestions for the correction of an error if possible. However, some error messages are worded broadly, and many don’t include specific suggestions for correction. We'll review our error message content.
We would like IDs in code to be unique, so the product works well for all users, but today some IDs are not unique. We’ve logged these cases to fix.
We would like each field on the page to be associated with a label in code, however in some situations this isn’t the case (for example, checkboxes indicating table row selection, or fields in tables). To fix this, we’re working on updating how cases like this are coded.
We would also like all icons to have text descriptions in code so it’s clear to all users what they do. We found some that don’t have descriptions, and we’ve logged them to fix.
If a message appears, we would like it to be clear to all users. Right now, messages aren’t coded in a way that users of some assistive technologies would notice. To fix this, we’re developing how our messages are coded.
Without the need to scroll the page horizontally, it is possible to use the web product on tablets with landscape (horizontal) orientation, and on larger screens. Note that separate mobile apps are available which will be covered by their own accessibility statements).
However, if you use the product on tablets with portrait (vertical) orientation, or on smaller screens such as smartphones, you’ll need to scroll horizontally to see all content.
All pages of the product would need to be fixed, including many pages with large tables of data. This would be costly and it’s often difficult to offer responsive variants of large tables without losing meaning. Some WCAG guidance suggests that ‘two-dimensional layout for usage or meaning’ may be acceptable.
We believe that offering support for smaller screens would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will make regular further assessments.
Testing was conducted using:
If you need support, find problems not listed on this page, or if you believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us.
We’ll consider any requests and get back to you as soon as possible. For any general Sage Accounting technical enquiries please call: 0191 479 5911
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