Buffalo knight representing accessibility protection

Accessibility Conformance Report

VPAT® 2.5 — WCAG 2.1 Level AA

Product Information

Product Name

Be The Buffalo Classroom

Report Date

October 2026

Product Description

K-5 Social-Emotional Learning Platform

Evaluation Standard

WCAG 2.1 Level AA

Conformance Summary

WCAG 2.1 Level AA — Partially Supports

Be The Buffalo Classroom partially supports WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance. Of the 50 success criteria, 44 are fully supported, 1 partially supported, and 5 are not applicable to the product.

44
Supports
1
Partially Supports
0
Does Not Support
5
Not Applicable

Key Accessibility Features

Screen Reader Support

All 40+ projector activities use ARIA attributes (aria-hidden, aria-live, role) to provide meaningful screen reader announcements and hide decorative content.

Reduced Motion

A global prefers-reduced-motion media query disables CSS animations and transitions. Framer Motion also respects this setting automatically.

Keyboard Navigation

All interactive elements are accessible via keyboard. Skip-to-main-content links and logical focus order enable efficient navigation.

Unique Page Titles

Every page and activity sets a unique browser tab title (e.g. "Strengths | Be The Buffalo") via the usePageTitle hook.

Bilingual Support

Full English and Spanish translations for all content, with language switching available in every view via next-intl.

Responsive Design

Content reflows for all screen sizes from 320px to large projector displays. No horizontal scrolling at any breakpoint.

Descriptive Alt Text

All meaningful images have context-rich alt text (e.g. "Buffalo celebrating strengths" instead of generic "Celebration").

Status Announcements

Dynamic content changes (scores, scenarios, breaking news) use aria-live regions and role="status" to announce updates without moving focus.

WCAG 2.1 Level A Success Criteria

CriterionConformance
1.1.1Non-text Content

All meaningful images have descriptive alt text. Decorative elements (floating backgrounds, confetti, weather effects) are hidden from assistive technology with aria-hidden="true".

Supports
1.2.1Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)

The Songs page contains prerecorded audio-only content (SEL songs). Synchronized lyrics are displayed in the karaoke player during playback. However, a static downloadable transcript of the full lyrics is not yet available outside of playback.

Partially Supports
1.2.2Captions (Prerecorded)

The Help Center includes one embedded YouTube video with YouTube's auto-generated captions available. All song lyrics are displayed as synchronized text during karaoke playback.

Supports
1.2.3Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)

The embedded Help Center video is a simple UI walkthrough. No complex visual-only content requires audio description.

Not Applicable
1.3.1Info and Relationships

Semantic HTML structure is used throughout. Headings, lists, and landmarks convey document structure. ARIA roles (status, dialog, alert) communicate relationships programmatically.

Supports
1.3.2Meaningful Sequence

DOM order matches visual presentation. Content flows logically for screen readers.

Supports
1.3.3Sensory Characteristics

Instructions do not rely solely on shape, color, size, or visual location. Text labels accompany all interactive elements.

Supports
1.4.1Use of Color

Color is not the sole means of conveying information. Icons, text labels, and patterns supplement color indicators.

Supports
1.4.2Audio Control

Audio (songs page) does not autoplay. Users have full control over playback.

Supports
2.1.1Keyboard

All interactive elements (buttons, links, form controls) are operable via keyboard. Activities use standard HTML buttons for navigation.

Supports
2.1.2No Keyboard Trap

Focus is never trapped. Modal dialogs (solve modal, match celebration) use aria-modal and can be dismissed.

Supports
2.1.4Character Key Shortcuts

The application does not use single-character keyboard shortcuts.

Not Applicable
2.2.1Timing Adjustable

Activities are teacher-paced, not time-limited. Teachers control progression through all views.

Supports
2.2.2Pause, Stop, Hide

All animated content (floating backgrounds, confetti, weather effects) is suppressed when the user enables prefers-reduced-motion at the OS level. Decorative animations are hidden from assistive technology.

Supports
2.3.1Three Flashes or Below Threshold

No content flashes more than three times per second.

Supports
2.4.1Bypass Blocks

Skip-to-main-content links are provided. Navigation landmarks allow users to jump between regions.

Supports
2.4.2Page Titled

Every page and projector activity has a unique, descriptive browser tab title via the usePageTitle hook (e.g. "Strengths | Be The Buffalo").

Supports
2.4.3Focus Order

Focus order follows logical reading order. Interactive elements receive focus in a meaningful sequence.

Supports
2.4.4Link Purpose (In Context)

Link text is descriptive. Navigation items clearly indicate their destination.

Supports
2.5.1Pointer Gestures

No multipoint or path-based gestures are required. All interactions use simple click/tap.

Supports
2.5.2Pointer Cancellation

Actions are triggered on pointer up, allowing cancellation by moving the pointer away.

Supports
2.5.3Label in Name

Accessible names of controls match their visible text labels.

Supports
2.5.4Motion Actuation

The application does not use device motion for any functionality.

Not Applicable
3.1.1Language of Page

The HTML lang attribute is set appropriately. The platform supports English and Spanish via next-intl.

Supports
3.2.1On Focus

Receiving focus does not trigger unexpected context changes.

Supports
3.2.2On Input

Changing form settings does not automatically cause context changes without user confirmation.

Supports
3.3.1Error Identification

Form errors (login, signup) are clearly identified in text with descriptive messages.

Supports
3.3.2Labels or Instructions

All form inputs have associated labels. Activity instructions are provided as text before interaction.

Supports
4.1.1Parsing

HTML is well-formed (generated by React/Next.js). No duplicate IDs or nesting errors.

Supports
4.1.2Name, Role, Value

Interactive elements use native HTML semantics or appropriate ARIA attributes. Custom controls have role, state, and name exposed to assistive technology.

Supports

WCAG 2.1 Level AA Success Criteria

CriterionConformance
1.2.4Captions (Live)

The platform does not include live audio or video streaming.

Not Applicable
1.2.5Audio Description (Prerecorded)

The embedded Help Center video is a simple UI walkthrough that does not contain visual-only information requiring audio description.

Not Applicable
1.3.4Orientation

Content is not restricted to a single display orientation. The responsive layout adapts to portrait and landscape.

Supports
1.3.5Identify Input Purpose

Form inputs (email, password) use appropriate autocomplete attributes and input types.

Supports
1.4.3Contrast (Minimum)

Text colors meet 4.5:1 contrast ratio against backgrounds. The brand palette (warm browns on cream/white) was designed for adequate contrast.

Supports
1.4.4Resize Text

Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. Layouts use responsive units (rem, Tailwind spacing scale).

Supports
1.4.5Images of Text

Text is rendered as real text, not as images. Illustrations are decorative or supplemental.

Supports
1.4.10Reflow

Content reflows to a single column at 320px CSS width. Responsive breakpoints (sm, md, lg) handle layout adaptation.

Supports
1.4.11Non-text Contrast

UI components and graphical objects (buttons, borders, icons) have at least 3:1 contrast ratio.

Supports
1.4.12Text Spacing

Content remains functional when users override line height, letter spacing, word spacing, and paragraph spacing.

Supports
1.4.13Content on Hover or Focus

Tooltips and hover content are dismissible, hoverable, and persistent until dismissed.

Supports
2.4.5Multiple Ways

Users can navigate via the lesson planner, direct activity links, projector dashboard, and browser navigation.

Supports
2.4.6Headings and Labels

Headings describe the topic or purpose of content. Form labels clearly describe input fields.

Supports
2.4.7Focus Visible

Focus indicators are visible on interactive elements via browser defaults and Tailwind's focus ring utilities.

Supports
3.1.2Language of Parts

The bilingual system (English/Spanish) sets language context via next-intl. Language switching is available in all views.

Supports
3.2.3Consistent Navigation

Navigation patterns are consistent across pages. The projector header and back button appear in every activity.

Supports
3.2.4Consistent Identification

Components with the same functionality use consistent labels and icons throughout the application.

Supports
3.3.3Error Suggestion

When input errors are detected (login, signup), specific suggestions for correction are provided.

Supports
3.3.4Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)

Subscription billing is handled through Stripe's hosted portal, which provides its own confirmation steps. Profile changes (email, password) require confirmation before saving.

Supports
4.1.3Status Messages

Dynamic status updates use aria-live="polite" (scenario text, breaking news) and role="status" (score counters, summary stats) so screen readers announce changes without moving focus.

Supports

Evaluation Methods

This report is based on evaluation of the Be The Buffalo Classroom platform using the following methods:

  • ✓Manual code review of all 40+ interactive projector activities
  • ✓Verification of ARIA attributes, semantic HTML, and landmark regions
  • ✓Keyboard-only navigation testing across all activity views
  • ✓Automated linting with Tailwind CSS and ESLint accessibility rules
  • ✓Responsive layout testing across breakpoints (320px – 1920px)
  • ✓prefers-reduced-motion behavior verification

Feedback & Contact

We are committed to making Be The Buffalo accessible to all educators and learners. If you encounter an accessibility barrier or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

📧 accessibility@bethebuffaloclassroom.com

VPAT® is a registered trademark of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). This report follows the ITI VPAT® 2.5 format. This Accessibility Conformance Report covers the Be The Buffalo Classroom web application at classroom.bethebuffaloclassroom.com.