ADA Compliance Policy

Purpose

Fuel Cycle is committed to ensuring that our public-facing website remains accessible to all users, including individuals with disabilities. We strive to provide an inclusive digital experience and actively work to improve accessibility in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Approach to Accessibility Compliance

Maintaining 100% ADA compliance at all times is a complex and evolving challenge. However, we take a proactive approach by regularly assessing our website's accessibility through the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) process. This assessment helps identify areas for improvement and ensures we continuously enhance our accessibility standards.

Prioritization of Accessibility Issues

When accessibility issues are identified through a VPAT assessment or reported by users, we address them according to the following prioritization framework. This framework represents goal resolution time, with actual resolution time depending on scope, complexity, and resource commitment:

Blocker Issues—Addressed immediately with a best-faith effort to resolve as quickly as possible.
Critical Issues—Resolved within six months of identification.
Serious Priority Issues—Addressed within twelve months.
Moderate, Minor, Best Practice Priority Issues—Reviewed and resolved on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, any accessibility concerns reported by website users will be prioritized and promptly assessed to remove barriers to access as efficiently as possible.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

We understand that accessibility is an ongoing effort, and we are dedicated to making improvements over time. We welcome feedback from users and stakeholders to help us identify and address accessibility challenges. If you encounter an accessibility issue while using our website, please contact us at productteam@fuelcycle.com so we can work to resolve it.

Review and Updates

This policy will be reviewed periodically to align with evolving accessibility standards and best practices. Our goal is to ensure that all users have a seamless and equitable experience when interacting with our website.

Criteria for evaluating the priority of reported issues:

Accessibility Issues	Description
Blocker — A person with a disability is blocked from accessing the content.	Prevents users with disabilities from navigating, accessing essential content, or completing critical tasks (such as logging in, filling out forms, or checking out). Incompatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers, keyboard navigation, or voice controls. Severe focus management issues that trap users or prevent interaction. No alternative text or structure for critical non-text elements (e.g., buttons, navigation links). Legal or compliance risks that could lead to immediate legal action.
Critical — A person with disabilities can access the content only with considerable difficulty and effort.	Missing or incorrect alternative text for key images, icons, or buttons that affect comprehension. Insufficient color contrast that makes text difficult or impossible to read for visually impaired users. Inaccessible modal dialogues or pop-ups that interrupt user workflows. Forms with missing labels or instructions that prevent effective completion. ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) misimplementations that confuse assistive technologies.
Serious — A person with disabilities can access the content with difficulty and effort.	Poor heading structure that makes navigation cumbersome for screen reader users. Lack of visible focus indicators makes keyboard navigation difficult. Complex interactive elements (dropdowns, carousels) that do not have accessible alternatives. Auto-playing media without user controls to pause or stop. Inconsistent focus order that makes navigation confusing.
Moderate — A person with disabilities can access the content with some difficulty.	Contrast issues that do not entirely prevent readability but still impact visibility. Non-essential animations or transitions that may be distracting or cause discomfort. Links and buttons are unclear because of vague labeling. Some form elements are missing their associated labels, but they are still partially understandable. Redundant or excessive ARIA attributes that slightly hinder accessibility.
Minor — A person with disabilities accesses the content without realizing that WCAG violations exist.	Inconsistent spacing, alignment, or layout that slightly affects readability. Decorative images are missing alternative text (not functionally required). Minor focus order inconsistencies that do not significantly affect usability. Slightly misused semantic HTML elements that do not block assistive technologies.
Best Practice — While people with disabilities can access this content, an experience enhancement is recommended.	Improved heading structure for better organization and usability. Enhanced keyboard shortcuts for more efficient navigation. ARIA roles or landmarks should be added for better clarity and structure. Optimization for a more seamless experience across various assistive technologies. Additional user customization options such as text resizing, dark mode, or alternative layouts.

Accessibility Widget

Our company offers an accessibility widget that caters to the specific needs of each community member.

It's free to use and takes only a few days to set up. If you want to use it, submit a ticket to enable it. The widget offers the following:

Section 508 Compliance
ADA Compliance
WCAG 2.1 Compliance
Matching look-and-feel design to your community

The Accessibility Widget can be moved to any location in the community, but it is usually placed in the bottom right corner. The widget provides user-triggered accessibility functions as seen below.

There are preset Accessibility Profiles that users may trigger:

Request Process

Request activation of the widget by contacting support through the Fuel Cycle Answer Bot widget in the community moderator app. Include written approval from your client within this ticket to enable the widget; this is required.
Support will enable the widget and close the ticket.