Last Updated: March 25, 2026
Why This Matters to Us
Vasl Health serves BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, and first-generation communities — populations that already face systemic barriers to care. An inaccessible platform would compound that harm. Accessibility is not a feature we add later; it is a design principle that shapes every decision we make, from the first wireframe to the last line of code.
Our members access the platform on a wide range of devices, connection speeds, and assistive technologies. We design for all of them.
If the door to care is not open to everyone, it is not truly open.
Our Commitment
Vasl Health is committed to ensuring that our platform at app.gotovasl.com is accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. We target conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level, and we continuously work to improve the experience for everyone.
Ongoing Process
Accessibility is not a one-time audit. We test continuously throughout development and conduct formal reviews before every major release.
Real-World Testing
We test with screen readers (NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack), keyboard-only navigation, high-contrast mode, and reduced-motion settings.
Community Input
Members of our community who use assistive technologies are part of our testing process. We listen, learn, and iterate based on their feedback.
Device Equity
Our members use low-end Android devices on limited data plans. We optimize for performance, minimal data usage, and offline-first interactions.
Accessibility Features
The following accessibility features are implemented or actively being developed across the Vasl Health platform:
- Keyboard Navigation All interactive elements — forms, buttons, menus, chat interfaces, and assessment flows — are fully operable using keyboard alone. Focus order follows a logical reading sequence.
- Screen Reader Compatibility Semantic HTML, ARIA landmarks, labels, and live regions are used throughout. Dynamic content (real-time messages, mood check-in confirmations, risk alerts) is announced to assistive technology via ARIA live regions.
- Color Contrast All text and interactive elements meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast requirements (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text). Risk level badges use both color and text labels, never color alone.
- Reduced Motion Users who enable "prefers-reduced-motion" in their system settings see simplified transitions. No content depends on animation to be understood.
- Responsive Design The platform adapts to viewport sizes from 320px to ultrawide displays. Text reflows without horizontal scrolling at up to 200% zoom.
- Form Accessibility All form inputs have visible labels, clear error messages linked to their respective fields, and instructions that do not rely solely on color or placement. Assessment questions (PHQ-8, GAD-7) include descriptive text for each scale point.
- Focus Management Focus is managed intentionally during modal dialogs, assessment flows, message composition, and navigation transitions. Focus traps are used in modals and returned to the triggering element on close.
- Text Alternatives All images, icons, and non-text content include meaningful alt text or are marked as decorative. Charts (mood trends, PHQ history) include text summaries for screen readers.
- Language Support The platform supports multiple languages. Content language is declared in the HTML lang attribute and updated dynamically based on user preference.
- Session Timeouts Users are warned before automatic session expiry (30 minutes for members, 60 minutes for coaches/admins) with the option to extend, ensuring no one loses work unexpectedly.
WCAG 2.1 Conformance
We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance across the platform. Below is a summary of our conformance by principle:
| Principle | Summary | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Perceivable | Text alternatives for non-text content; captions for multimedia; content adaptable to different presentations; sufficient contrast and spacing. | AA |
| Operable | Full keyboard accessibility; no time traps; session timeout warnings; skip-to-content links; descriptive page titles and headings; focus visible on all interactive elements. | AA |
| Understandable | Readable text at appropriate levels; predictable navigation and interactions; input assistance with clear error identification and suggestions for assessments and forms. | AA |
| Robust | Valid, semantic HTML; compatible with current and emerging assistive technologies; ARIA used correctly and sparingly; tested with major screen readers. | AA |
Known Limitations
We are transparent about areas where we are still improving:
- Real-time messaging The live chat interface announces new messages via ARIA live regions, but the experience may vary across different screen reader and browser combinations. We are actively testing and refining this behavior.
- Teletherapy video sessions Video session accessibility depends in part on the video provider's SDK (Daily.co or Twilio). We work with our providers to ensure controls are keyboard-operable and screen reader accessible, but some limitations of the embedded video experience may persist.
- Complex data visualizations Mood trend charts and PHQ score history graphs include text summaries, but the interactive chart exploration experience may be limited for screen reader users. We provide tabular data alternatives where possible.
If you encounter any accessibility barrier while using Vasl Health, please tell us. Your feedback directly shapes our roadmap. Contact us at info@gotovasl.com with "Accessibility" in the subject line.
Testing and Audit
Our accessibility program includes the following practices:
- Automated scanning Axe-core and Lighthouse audits run in our CI/CD pipeline on every deployment. Builds that introduce new accessibility violations are flagged before reaching production.
- Manual testing Keyboard-only navigation, screen reader testing (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS/iOS, TalkBack on Android), and high-contrast mode testing are performed before each release.
- Third-party audit We commission an independent WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility audit as part of our pre-launch compliance checklist. Findings are documented and remediated before general availability.
- User testing Members of our target communities who use assistive technologies participate in usability testing sessions during development.
Feedback and Contact
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the Vasl Health platform. If you experience any difficulty accessing content, navigating the application, or using any feature — or if you have suggestions for how we can improve — please contact us:
Email: info@gotovasl.com (include "Accessibility" in the subject line)
We will respond to accessibility feedback within five (5) business days and work to resolve reported issues as quickly as possible.
Encountered a barrier?
Let us know so we can fix it. Your experience matters.
Report an Accessibility Issue