Accessibility is a high priority for MIRRIM and for the ongoing development of the IRIS platform.
Many of the organizations that use IRIS serve people with disabilities, including workforce development, education, nonprofit and human services organizations. Because of that, accessibility is not an edge case for us. It is an important part of how we design, test and improve the platform.
We have invested significant development effort in making IRIS more usable with assistive technologies and in supporting established web accessibility standards.
Our work includes:
We have specifically developed and tested IRIS to work with screen readers, including JAWS. Because some elements of the IRIS experience are highly visual or interactive, we have added nonvisual information where needed so that a screen reader can communicate information that would otherwise only be apparent on the screen. This includes the use of visually hidden text, characters and other accessibility elements that provide additional context to assistive technologies without unnecessarily changing the visual experience for other users.
The IRIS assessment requires participants to interact with words, choices and other interface elements. We have worked to ensure that these interactions can be understood and navigated by people using assistive technology rather than relying solely on visual placement or presentation.
Color is an important part of the IRIS user experience, particularly in reports, results and data visualization. We intentionally select and review colors with accessibility in mind, including contrast requirements associated with WCAG 2.0. Wherever possible, we also work to ensure that meaning is not communicated through color alone.
We continue to improve the ability to navigate IRIS without relying exclusively on a mouse or touch interface. This includes attention to keyboard navigation, focus states, interactive controls and the logical sequence in which a user encounters information.
We use semantic structure, labels and accessibility attributes to help assistive technologies interpret controls, forms, navigation and content. Where the visual interface does not provide sufficient information to a screen reader, we add additional nonvisual context.
IRIS is designed to support different screen sizes and viewing conditions. We consider text readability, interface scaling, responsive layouts and the ability to use the platform at increased browser zoom levels as part of our accessibility work.
Because IRIS presents behavioral information through scores, patterns, charts and written interpretation, we pay particular attention to making those results understandable beyond their visual presentation. We continue to improve how charts, scores and other visual information are represented for users relying on screen readers or other assistive technology.
We use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, including WCAG 2.0, as an important reference point in the design and development of IRIS.
We do not view accessibility as a one-time compliance exercise or something that is finished after a particular release. IRIS continues to evolve, and accessibility is part of that continuing development process. New functionality is reviewed with accessibility in mind, and existing functionality is improved as we identify opportunities or receive feedback from customers and users.
We also recognize that automated accessibility testing alone is not sufficient. Assistive technologies interact with software in ways that cannot always be evaluated by automated tools, which is why practical considerations such as screen-reader behavior, keyboard navigation and the actual user experience matter to us.
Our customers serve a wide range of people, and we want IRIS to support their work responsibly. We take accessibility seriously and will continue investing in improvements as technologies, standards and the IRIS platform evolve.
When a customer or participant identifies an accessibility barrier, we want to know about it. That feedback helps us improve the experience not only for that individual, but for everyone who may encounter the same barrier.
Our objective is simple: The technology should help people understand and use their IRIS information — not create an unnecessary barrier to doing so.