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Accessibility Requirements

Story Prefix: ACC Feature Area: Accessibility System Overview: university-reg-features.md

ACC-001: Access the System on Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile​

As a Student I want to use the registration system on any device I own So that I can manage my registration from wherever I am

Acceptance Criteria​

  • The interface is fully functional on current-generation desktop browsers, tablets (portrait and landscape), and mobile phones (minimum viewport width 320 px)
  • All core registration workflows (browse catalogue, enroll, drop, view summary) are completable on a mobile device without horizontal scrolling
  • Touch targets are at least 44 × 44 CSS pixels on touch-enabled devices
  • The layout adjusts responsively via CSS (no separate mobile site required)

ACC-002: Navigate the System Using Keyboard Only​

As a user with a motor disability I want to navigate and operate the system entirely with a keyboard So that I can use all features without a mouse or touch input

Acceptance Criteria​

  • All interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields, dropdowns, modals) are reachable and operable via keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, arrow keys)
  • Focus order follows a logical reading sequence on every page
  • Keyboard focus is always visually indicated with a clearly visible outline (minimum 3:1 contrast ratio between focused and unfocused states)
  • No keyboard trap exists — users can always navigate away from any component using only the keyboard
  • Modal dialogs trap focus within the dialog while open and restore focus to the triggering element when closed

ACC-003: Use the System with a Screen Reader (WCAG 2.1 AA)​

As a user who is blind or has low vision I want the system to be fully compatible with screen readers So that I can access all information and complete all workflows independently

Acceptance Criteria​

  • All pages comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA
  • All images, icons, and non-text controls have descriptive alt text or ARIA labels
  • All form fields have programmatically associated labels (not just placeholder text)
  • Status messages (enrollment confirmations, errors, waitlist notifications) are announced by screen readers via ARIA live regions
  • Data tables use proper <thead>, <th scope>, and caption markup
  • The system is tested against and passes with NVDA + Chrome and VoiceOver + Safari

ACC-004: Switch to High-Contrast or Large-Text Mode​

As a user with low vision or light sensitivity I want to enable a high-contrast theme or increase the base text size So that I can read the interface comfortably

Acceptance Criteria​

  • A high-contrast theme option is available in user account settings; the preference is persisted across sessions
  • The high-contrast theme meets WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratio requirements (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text and UI components)
  • The system respects the operating system / browser "prefers-color-scheme: dark" and "prefers-contrast: more" media queries by default
  • All content remains fully functional and readable when browser text size is increased to 200%
  • No content or functionality is lost or clipped when zoom is applied up to 400%

ACC-005: View the System in Supported Browsers​

As a user I want the system to work correctly in current mainstream browsers So that I do not need to install a specific browser to use the system

Acceptance Criteria​

  • The system is tested and fully functional in the latest two major versions of: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
  • A browser compatibility notice is displayed to users on unsupported browsers, listing the supported options
  • No browser-specific plugins (e.g., Flash, Silverlight) are required
  • JavaScript is required; users with JavaScript disabled see a graceful degradation message directing them to enable it