Accessibility Statement

1. Our Commitment

HQE Systems is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying relevant accessibility standards.

We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA, as published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

2. Conformance Status

The HQE Systems platform is partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA. "Partially conformant" means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.

We have completed an internal audit and are actively working to address identified gaps. Our target is full WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance. See our known limitations and remediation timeline below.

3. Technical Specifications

The HQE Systems platform relies on the following technologies for conformance:

• HTML5
• CSS3 (including CSS custom properties)
• JavaScript (ES6+)
• WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications)

The following browsers and assistive technologies are used to test the platform:

• Google Chrome (latest) with NVDA screen reader on Windows
• Mozilla Firefox (latest) with NVDA on Windows
• Apple Safari (latest) with VoiceOver on macOS and iOS
• Microsoft Edge (latest) with Narrator on Windows

4. Known Limitations

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility, some areas of the platform currently have known limitations. The following issues have been identified and are being actively remediated:

4.1 Color Contrast

Some secondary text elements and status badges may not meet the 4.5:1 contrast ratio required for WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3. We are auditing and updating our color palette to bring all text elements into conformance.

4.2 Keyboard Navigation

Certain interactive components — including some modal dialogs, drawer panels, and custom dropdown menus — do not fully support keyboard-only navigation. Focus management and keyboard trap handling are being improved as part of our remediation plan.

4.3 Dynamic Content and ARIA

Some dynamically rendered content areas (data tables, real-time notification panels, and chat interfaces) lack complete ARIA live region announcements. Screen reader users may not receive automatic updates when these areas change. We are adding aria-live regions and status announcements throughout the application.

4.4 Form Labels and Error Messages

A subset of form inputs across the platform are missing explicit <label> associations or rely solely on placeholder text. Error messages on some forms are not programmatically associated with their respective input fields. These are being corrected in our current sprint cycle.

4.5 Images and Non-Text Content

Some decorative icons and chart graphics lack appropriate alt attributes or aria-hidden markers. User-uploaded images in the file management and project modules do not yet enforce alt text entry. We are adding enforcement and improving defaults.

4.6 Mobile Application

The HQE Systems mobile application (iOS and Android) is currently undergoing a separate accessibility audit. Known issues include missing content descriptions on some icons and insufficient touch target sizes in certain views.

5. Remediation Timeline

We have committed to a phased remediation plan with the following target milestones:

• Phase 1 (Q3 2026): Color contrast audit and palette updates; form label and error message fixes; decorative image alt text corrections.
• Phase 2 (Q4 2026): Full keyboard navigation and focus management improvements; modal and drawer ARIA patterns; skip-navigation links.
• Phase 3 (Q1 2027): ARIA live regions for dynamic content; data table accessibility; chart and graph alternatives; complete mobile app audit.
• Phase 4 (Q2 2027): Third-party accessibility audit; VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) publication; WCAG 2.2 Level AA full conformance target.

For the full technical detail behind this plan, see our internal ADA Compliance Implementation Plan, available to team members in the platform documentation.

6. Assessment Approach

HQE Systems assesses the accessibility of the platform through the following approaches:

• Self-evaluation: Internal development team review against WCAG 2.2 criteria during feature development and code review.
• Automated testing: Integration of axe-core and Lighthouse accessibility auditing tools into the development pipeline.
• Manual testing: Periodic manual review using screen readers (NVDA, VoiceOver) and keyboard-only navigation.
• User feedback: Ongoing feedback collection from users who rely on assistive technologies.

7. Feedback and Contact

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of the HQE Systems platform. If you experience accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

We try to respond to accessibility feedback within 2 business days and aim to resolve identified issues within a reasonable timeframe depending on severity.

8. Enforcement Procedure

If you are dissatisfied with our response to your accessibility feedback, or if you believe we have not adequately addressed your concern, you may contact the following bodies depending on your jurisdiction:

• United States: The U.S. Access Board (access-board.gov) or the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
• European Union: Your national supervisory authority responsible for enforcing the European Accessibility Act.
• Other jurisdictions: The appropriate national body responsible for digital accessibility enforcement.

9. Formal Complaints

This statement was prepared in accordance with WCAG 2.2. If you wish to make a formal complaint regarding the accessibility of this service, please contact us at accessibility@hqesystems.com with the subject line "Formal Accessibility Complaint." We will acknowledge receipt within 2 business days and provide a substantive response within 10 business days.