Accessibility

Ann-Connect is committed to making Workspace accessible, inclusive, and usable by as many people as reasonably practicable, including users with disabilities and users who rely on assistive technologies to access digital services. We believe that accessibility is an essential component of responsible technology design and that users should be able to participate in learning, assessment, meetings, collaboration, communication, and productivity activities without unnecessary barriers. Accessibility considerations are therefore incorporated into the design, development, testing, maintenance, and ongoing improvement of Workspace, with the objective of providing an experience that supports users with different abilities, devices, interaction methods, and accessibility requirements.

Workspace is designed with accessibility principles in mind across its user interfaces, navigation structures, forms, controls, content presentation, communication features, meeting environments, assessment environments, and supporting workflows. Depending on the specific Workspace service being used, accessibility considerations may include keyboard navigation, logical focus order, appropriate labels and instructions, readable and adaptable content, sufficient visual distinction, support for assistive technologies, accessible forms and controls, captions and transcripts where available, and interfaces that can be used without relying exclusively on a particular method of interaction.

Ann-Connect's accessibility conformance target for Workspace is aligned with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, which we use as a principal reference point for designing and evaluating the accessibility of our web-based services. WCAG 2.1 Level AA provides internationally recognised guidance for making digital content more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for people with disabilities. Our accessibility programme is intended to progressively improve conformance across Workspace and its supported user journeys rather than treating accessibility as a one-time certification or development activity.

Our accessibility target applies to the core Workspace interfaces and functionality that are developed and controlled by Ann-Connect. Because Workspace is an integrated platform that may operate across different browsers, operating systems, mobile devices, institutional systems, third-party integrations, external content, and assistive technologies, accessibility may vary depending on the specific environment in which the service is accessed. Accordingly, while Ann-Connect seeks to maintain a high level of accessibility across supported environments, we do not represent that every feature, workflow, integration, third-party component, document, user-generated content item, or external system will achieve complete or continuous WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance at all times.

Accessibility within Workspace is informed by universal design principles, with the objective of reducing unnecessary barriers for users regardless of their individual circumstances, abilities, technology preferences, or method of interaction. We seek to design functionality in a manner that accommodates a broad range of users from the outset rather than relying exclusively on individual accommodations after a barrier has been identified.

This approach may include designing interfaces that support keyboard-based interaction, providing meaningful text alternatives where applicable, using appropriate semantic structures and labels, maintaining predictable navigation and interaction patterns, providing clear instructions and error messages, supporting text resizing and responsive layouts, considering users with visual, auditory, cognitive, neurological, speech, and motor disabilities, and providing accessible alternatives where a particular interaction or technology may create a barrier. Accessibility is considered alongside usability, security, performance, privacy, and functionality when making product and engineering decisions.

For Workspace meeting, collaboration, and communication functionality, including Room, Ann-Connect seeks to provide features that support participation by users with different accessibility requirements. Depending on the applicable subscription, configuration, device, and feature availability, this may include capabilities such as live captions, transcription, readable chat interfaces, keyboard-accessible controls, visual meeting indicators, screen-sharing functionality, and alternative ways of participating in meetings and collaborative activities.

The availability and accuracy of accessibility-related meeting features may depend on technical factors, including the user's device, operating system, browser, microphone, camera, network connection, language, audio quality, third-party services, and the specific functionality enabled by the relevant Workspace plan. Automated captions, transcription, and other AI-assisted accessibility features may contain inaccuracies and should not be treated as a guaranteed verbatim or error-free representation of spoken content. Where accessibility features are provided through third-party technologies or integrations, those components may be subject to the accessibility capabilities and limitations of the relevant third-party provider.

Where Workspace is used for assessments, examinations, learning activities, or other educational purposes, Ann-Connect recognises that accessibility may be particularly important because inaccessible assessment environments can create barriers to participation and may unfairly affect a user's ability to demonstrate their knowledge or skills.

Workspace is therefore designed to support accessible assessment experiences where reasonably practicable, including consideration of accessible navigation, readable instructions, appropriate interaction mechanisms, assistive technology compatibility, and alternative presentation or interaction methods where supported by the relevant assessment configuration. However, institutions remain responsible for determining and implementing appropriate academic accommodations, assessment adjustments, alternative arrangements, or accessibility requirements applicable to their students and users.

Where an institution configures an assessment with specific restrictions, including restrictions relating to browser access, screen activity, external applications, assistive technologies, cameras, microphones, or other monitoring functionality, the institution is responsible for ensuring that those requirements are compatible with its applicable accessibility obligations and accommodation policies. Ann-Connect may provide technical functionality to support such requirements, but does not independently determine whether a particular assessment accommodation is legally or academically appropriate for an individual user.

Ann-Connect aims to support commonly used assistive technologies and accessibility features available through supported operating systems, browsers, and devices. This may include technologies such as screen readers, keyboard navigation, browser accessibility settings, operating-system accessibility features, magnification tools, voice control, and other assistive technologies.

Compatibility with assistive technologies may vary depending on the specific feature, browser, operating system, device configuration, third-party integration, and version of the assistive technology being used. Users should ensure that they are accessing Workspace through supported browsers and operating systems and, where applicable, that their assistive technology is configured appropriately. Ann-Connect will continue to evaluate compatibility and address identified accessibility barriers as part of its ongoing product development and quality assurance processes.

Workspace may integrate with or provide access to third-party services, platforms, applications, documents, websites, content, communication tools, payment providers, calendar services, cloud services, identity providers, learning management systems, student information systems, and other external technologies. Ann-Connect does not control the accessibility practices, technical implementation, or accessibility conformance of third-party products and services.

Where a third-party integration is necessary to complete a particular Workspace workflow, an accessibility barrier within that third-party service may affect the overall user experience. Ann-Connect will, where reasonably practicable and within its control, work to identify and address accessibility issues arising within Workspace integrations; however, such efforts do not constitute a guarantee that external systems will comply with any particular accessibility standard.

Accessibility is treated as an ongoing product quality consideration rather than a single development milestone. Ann-Connect may conduct accessibility reviews, manual testing, automated accessibility testing, usability assessments, compatibility testing, and other evaluation activities to identify and address accessibility barriers within Workspace. Accessibility considerations may also be incorporated into software development, quality assurance, user interface design, release processes, and product improvement activities.

Where accessibility defects or barriers are identified, Ann-Connect will assess their severity, impact, scope, technical complexity, and potential effect on users and will prioritise remediation in accordance with its development and security processes. Not every accessibility issue can necessarily be resolved immediately, particularly where remediation requires changes to underlying technology, third-party components, browser behaviour, operating-system functionality, or legacy platform architecture. Nevertheless, Ann-Connect is committed to progressively improving the accessibility of Workspace and reducing barriers wherever reasonably practicable.

We encourage users, institutions, customers, and other stakeholders to report accessibility barriers, difficulties, or concerns encountered while using Workspace. Feedback is an important component of our accessibility programme and may assist us in identifying issues that are not detected through automated testing or internal quality assurance processes.

When reporting an accessibility issue, users are encouraged, where possible, to provide sufficient information to enable Ann-Connect to investigate the issue. This may include the Workspace product or feature affected, the page or workflow where the issue occurred, a description of the accessibility barrier, the browser and operating system being used, the assistive technology or accessibility feature being used, and any relevant screenshots or error messages. Users should not include unnecessary personal, confidential, assessment, examination, or sensitive information when submitting an accessibility report.

Accessibility-related concerns may be submitted through the official Ann-Connect support or contact channels identified in the Workspace platform, Terms of Service, or Privacy Policy. Where the user accesses Workspace through an institution, the user may also report the issue to the institution's designated support or accessibility office, which may coordinate with Ann-Connect where the issue relates to the Workspace platform.

Where a material accessibility barrier prevents a user from completing an important activity within Workspace, Ann-Connect may, where reasonably practicable, work with the relevant institution or customer to identify an appropriate technical alternative, temporary workaround, or alternative method of accessing the relevant functionality while a permanent solution is being considered or developed.

The availability of an alternative or workaround will depend on the nature of the issue, the functionality involved, the user's circumstances, applicable institutional requirements, security considerations, and technical feasibility. Nothing in this section requires Ann-Connect to provide an accommodation that is technically impossible, creates a material security risk, compromises the integrity of the platform, or is otherwise outside Ann-Connect's reasonable control.

Accessibility measures must operate alongside Workspace's security, privacy, academic integrity, and platform protection requirements. Certain Workspace services, particularly assessment and invigilation functionality, may require security controls that affect how users interact with the platform or restrict certain device, browser, application, or operating-system capabilities.

Ann-Connect will seek to balance accessibility and security requirements and, where reasonably practicable, identify solutions that allow users to participate without unnecessarily compromising security or assessment integrity. Where an institution establishes assessment-specific security or accessibility requirements, the institution remains responsible for determining the appropriate balance between those requirements and for providing any legally or academically required accommodations to its users.

Our accessibility commitment applies to Workspace functionality that is developed, operated, and controlled by Ann-Connect, subject to the limitations described in this section. Accessibility may be affected by factors outside Ann-Connect's reasonable control, including third-party software, browser or operating-system changes, assistive technology compatibility, user-generated content, external integrations, network conditions, device configurations, and services provided by third parties.

Accordingly, our accessibility target should be understood as an ongoing conformance objective and commitment to continuous improvement rather than an absolute representation that every part of Workspace will always conform to every WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criterion in every possible technical environment. Where an accessibility issue is identified, Ann-Connect will seek to investigate and address the issue in accordance with its product development, support, security, and operational processes.

Ann-Connect is committed to continually improving the accessibility of Workspace as the platform evolves. As new products, features, technologies, AI capabilities, collaboration tools, assessment functionality, integrations, and user experiences are introduced, accessibility will remain an important consideration in product design and development.

Our objective is to provide a platform that enables individuals, educational institutions, organisations, teams, and other users to participate meaningfully in digital learning, assessment, meetings, collaboration, and productivity activities. We welcome feedback from users and accessibility specialists and will use such feedback, together with recognised accessibility standards and evolving industry practices, to guide the continued improvement of Workspace.