Accessibility Statement

1. Our Commitment

At Cadence, accessibility is a foundational engineering requirement, not an afterthought. We believe the web should be usable, intuitive, and equitable for everyone, including individuals with visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

Our digital experiences are designed and developed in alignment with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

2. Technical Standards & Implementation

We build our theme architectures using native web platform capabilities, semantic standards, and static-first rendering. Key structural implementations include:

• Semantic Document Architecture: Every page features a single <h1> element, a logical heading hierarchy (h1 through h4), and native landmark elements (<header>, <nav>, <main>, <section>, <footer>, <aside>).
• Keyboard Operability: All interactive components—including navigation menus, dialogs, accordions, theme switchers, and form controls—are fully operable using a standard keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, Escape, and arrow keys).
• Visible Focus Indicators: High-contrast, non-obscuring 2px focus indicators (:focus-visible) are consistently applied across all actionable elements with standard offset spacing.
• Skip Navigation: A dedicated “Skip to main content” link is positioned at the top of the DOM to permit keyboard and screen-reader users to bypass repetitive header navigation directly.
• Progressive Enhancement & Static HTML: Content is served server-rendered with zero dependency on client-side JavaScript for essential reading and comprehension.

3. Assistive Technology Compatibility

Cadence is continuously tested and engineered to support modern assistive tools and technologies:

• Screen Readers: Compatibility with NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver (macOS and iOS), and TalkBack (Android).
• Accessible Labelling & ARIA: ARIA landmarks and attributes (aria-expanded, aria-controls, aria-label, aria-current) are applied strictly when native HTML elements require supplemental state communication. Decorative icons are explicitly hidden (aria-hidden="true").
• Reduced Motion: Visual transitions and animations respect system preferences (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce), ensuring comfort for users with vestibular disorders.

4. Design System & Contrast Ratios

Our tokenized styling architecture enforces strict visual clarity benchmarks across both Light and Dark themes:

• Body & Content Text: Contrast ratios maintain at least 4.5:1 against underlying surfaces.
• Headings & Large Elements: Display typography maintains at least 7:1 contrast.
• Interactive States: Buttons, badges, and focus rings provide clear contrast differentiation.
• Information Independence: Color is never used as the sole conveyor of state, status, or instructional meaning.

5. Ongoing Auditing & Verification

We validate accessibility throughout the software lifecycle through:

1. Automated accessibility linters and syntax checks.
2. Full keyboard-only manual traversal tests.
3. Contrast and zooming evaluations up to 200% text magnification without loss of functionality.
4. Screen-reader walkthroughs of dynamic controls and navigation menus.

6. Feedback & Support

We welcome questions, suggestions, and feedback regarding the accessibility of Cadence. If you experience difficulty accessing any content, functionality, or component, please reach out to us using the contact details provided in this section. We prioritize remediation of reported accessibility barriers.