Accessibility statement for Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Updated on December 15, 2022

This accessibility statement applies to Sage Accounting, a web-based accounting product for sole proprietors and small business owners.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use Sage Business Cloud Accounting. For example, that means you should be able to:

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

We have made the text in the product as easy as possible to understand.

AbilityNet is a resource available to help make devices easier to use for anyone with accessibility needs.

Important note:

Sage Accounting is currently updating the technology used to build this product. We’re bringing in improved accessibility support as we go, aiming to ensure that all features benefit from this technology yet.

How accessible this product is

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

• If you use the web product on tablets with portrait (vertical) orientation or on smaller screens, such as smartphones, you will need to scroll horizontally to see all content.
• When working in message boxes using the keyboard, sometimes people may be unable to continue.
• It is not possible to fully use our site navigation as well as certain buttons with only your keyboard.
• When using the tab button to move around, the sequence of movements is sometimes unusual.
• If you use a screen reader, you may not be informed of error messages.
• Error messages may not provide indications 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 the menus.

There are several other improvements we could make to our code to help ensure this product works well for everyone.

Non-compliance with 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 and easily understandable or match what is presented visually.

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 always the case right now.

At times, we intentionally disable autocomplete when it wouldn’t be helpful. 

Contrast (Minimum)

We would like the visual presentation of text to have good contrast against background colors to support people with visual impairments. However, in some places this isn’t the case.

Non-text Contrast

We would like the visual presentation of everything interactive to have good contrast against background colors to support people with visual impairments. However, in some places this isn’t the case.

Keyboard

We would like everything that’s interactive to be accessible using the keyboard alone. However, our site navigation, tables and some buttons are not yet keyboard accessible.

No Keyboard Trap

We would like to avoid situations where you might get stuck when using the product with the keyboard alone. Right now, tabbing to the end of some message boxes means keyboard focus is lost and you then need to press the Escape key to exit. 

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 that this may help some users. 

Focus Order

When using the tab button to move around, we would like the sequence of movement to be logical. However, our testing has revealed some instances in which the order isn’t as we’d expect. 

Multiple Ways

We would like to offer users more than one way to navigate around the product. However, today we only provide navigation menus. 

Label in Name

We would like the text we use for the field labels 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 challenging to understand. 

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. 

Error Suggestion

We would like people to receive appropriate suggestions for the correction of an error if possible. However, some error messages are worded too broadly and many do not include specific suggestions for corrections. 

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. 

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, i.e. checkboxes indicating table row selection or fields in tables.

We would also like all icons to have text descriptions in code so that it is clear to all users what they do. 

Status Messages

We would like all pop-up messages to be easily understood for all users. Right now, messages aren’t coded in a way that users of some assistive technologies would notice.

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 December 2022.
• The test was carried out internally by Sage employees.
• We tested all the pages listed in the primary navigation of the product, at https://accounts-extra.sageone.com.
• We did not test add-ons and extensions, such as Pendo, Stripe Payments, Google Drive or help content.

Testing was conducted using:

• macOS 12.5.1 (Monterey).
• Safari 15.6.1.
• VoiceOver.
• Voice Control.
• axe DevTools 4.45.0.