Accessibility statement for Sage Accounting

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:

• Use the web product on tablets with landscape (horizontal) orientation, and on larger screens, without the need to scroll the page horizontally. Please note that separate mobile apps are available which will be covered by their own accessibility statements.
• Navigate using consistent menus.
• Zoom in by 200%, or change the size and spacing of text, without the text running off screen.
• Listen to most of the product using a screen reader (such as VoiceOver).
• We have made the text in the product as simple as possible to understand.

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.

How accessible is this product?

We know some parts of this product are not currently fully accessible.

• If you use the web product on tablets with portrait (vertical) orientation, or on smaller screens such as smartphones, you’ll need to scroll horizontally to see all content.
• When working in message boxes using the keyboard, sometimes people may be unable to continue.
• You can't use our site navigation and some buttons with just the keyboard.
• When using the tab button to move around, the sequence of movement is sometimes unusual.
• If you use a screen reader, you may not be informed of error messages.
• Error messages may not provide suggestions on how to correct the error.
• Some fields or buttons may have poor visual contrast against the background.
• There is no way to navigate around the product other than by using menus.

There are several other improvements we could make to our code to help the product work as well as it can for everyone.

Non-compliance with the accessibility guidelines

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-text Content

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.

WCAG Reference 1.1.1

Identify Input Purpose

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.

WCAG Reference 1.3.5

Contrast (Minimum)

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.

WCAG Reference 1.4.3

Non-text Contrast

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.

WCAG Reference 1.4.11

Keyboard

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.

WCAG Reference 2.1.1

No Keyboard Trap

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.

WCAG Reference 2.1.2

Bypass Blocks

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.

WCAG Reference 2.4.1

Focus Order

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.

WCAG Reference 2.4.3

Multiple Ways

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.

WCAG Reference 2.4.5

Label in Name

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.

WCAG Reference 2.5.3

Language of Page

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.

WCAG Reference 3.1.1

Error Identification

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.

WCAG Reference 3.3.1

Error Suggestion

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.

WCAG Reference 3.3.3

Parsing

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.

WCAG Reference 4.1.1

Name, Role, Value

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.

WCAG Reference 4.1.2

Status Messages

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.

WCAG Reference 4.1.3

How we tested this product

• Although the product is available in seven countries and much of the user interface is the same, we tested the UK version specifically.
• This product was last tested in July 2019. The test was carried out internally by Sage employees.
• We tested all pages listed in the primary navigation of the product.
• We did not test add-ons and extensions, such as Pendo, Stripe Payments, Google Drive, or help content.

Testing was conducted using:

• Chrome version 75.0.3770 on Mac OS, and VoiceOver included with Mac OS 10.14 (Mojave).
• Chrome version 80.0.3987.87 on Windows 10 version 1803.