Accessibility Statement

1. Our Commitment

SpotMate is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people of all abilities. We believe everyone should have equal access to find, list, and manage parking spots and storage cages within their building communities.

Accessibility is not an afterthought for us—it's a core principle that guides how we design and build our platform. We continuously work to improve the user experience for all our community members, regardless of ability.

2. Accessibility Standards

We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities and more user-friendly for everyone.

Our approach includes:

• Ongoing accessibility improvements as part of our development process
• Regular accessibility audits to identify and address barriers
• Training our team on inclusive design principles
• Incorporating user feedback to guide accessibility enhancements
• Testing with assistive technologies including screen readers and keyboard-only navigation

3. Accessibility Features

We have implemented the following accessibility features on SpotMate:

Keyboard Navigation

All interactive elements on our platform can be accessed using a keyboard alone. You can navigate through the site using Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, and arrow keys.

Screen Reader Compatibility

We design our pages to work with popular screen readers including NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. We use semantic HTML and ARIA labels where appropriate to provide meaningful context.

Clear Heading Structure

Our pages use a logical heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, etc.) that allows screen reader users to navigate content efficiently and understand page structure.

Descriptive Link Text

We use descriptive link text that makes sense out of context, avoiding generic phrases like "click here" or "read more".

Colour Contrast

We strive to maintain sufficient colour contrast ratios between text and backgrounds to ensure readability for users with low vision or colour blindness.

Resizable Text

Text on SpotMate can be resized up to 200% using browser zoom without loss of content or functionality.

Focus Indicators

Visible focus indicators help keyboard users identify which element currently has focus, making navigation clearer and more predictable.

4. Browsing Tips

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of SpotMate:

Zooming In

• Windows: Press Ctrl and + (plus) to zoom in, Ctrl and - (minus) to zoom out
• Mac: Press Cmd and + (plus) to zoom in, Cmd and - (minus) to zoom out
• Mobile: Pinch to zoom on touchscreen devices

Browser Accessibility Settings

Most modern browsers include built-in accessibility features. Check your browser's settings or help documentation to learn about options for text size, high contrast mode, and other accessibility preferences.

Screen Reader Recommendations

• Windows: NVDA (free) or JAWS
• Mac: VoiceOver (built-in, activate with Cmd+F5)
• iOS: VoiceOver (built-in, enable in Settings > Accessibility)
• Android: TalkBack (built-in, enable in Settings > Accessibility)

5. Mobile Accessibility

SpotMate is designed to be fully functional on mobile devices with accessibility features in mind:

• Touch-friendly targets: Buttons and interactive elements are sized appropriately for touch input
• Responsive design: Content adapts to different screen sizes and orientations
• Mobile screen reader support: Works with VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android
• Gesture alternatives: Important actions can be completed without complex gestures
• Orientation support: Content works in both portrait and landscape modes

6. Known Limitations

While we strive to ensure accessibility across our platform, we acknowledge there may be some current limitations:

• Some interactive map features may have limited accessibility for screen reader users. We provide alternative listing views for these cases.
• User-uploaded images may not always include descriptive alt text. We encourage our users to provide descriptions when uploading photos.
• Some older content may not yet meet our current accessibility standards. We are progressively updating this content.
• PDF documents generated for receipts may have limited accessibility. Contact us if you need an accessible format.

We are actively working to address these limitations and improve accessibility across all areas of SpotMate.

7. Feedback Welcome

We genuinely want to hear from you. Your feedback helps us understand where we're doing well and where we need to improve.

If you encounter any accessibility barriers while using SpotMate, or if you have suggestions for how we can improve, please let us know. We take all feedback seriously and will do our best to address issues promptly.

When reporting an issue, it's helpful if you can include:

• A description of the problem you encountered
• The page or feature where the issue occurred
• The device and browser you were using
• Any assistive technology you were using (if applicable)

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about accessibility on SpotMate or need assistance, please reach out to us through any of the following channels:

We aim to respond to accessibility-related inquiries within 2 business days.

9. Third-Party Content

SpotMate integrates with third-party services to provide certain features. While we carefully select our partners, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of content or interfaces provided by third parties:

• Payment processing: Our payment forms are managed by Stripe, who maintain their own accessibility standards. Stripe is committed to WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance.
• Maps: Interactive maps are provided by third-party mapping services. We offer alternative text-based listing views where possible.
• User-generated content: Content uploaded by other users (such as photos or descriptions) may not always meet accessibility standards.

If you have difficulty accessing any third-party content on SpotMate, please contact us and we will do our best to assist you or provide an alternative.