Our Commitment to Accessibility
tiCrypt is used by universities, national laboratories, and federal research institutions. Researchers, administrators, and system operators have diverse abilities and use a range of assistive technologies. Accessibility is a continuous effort, not a one-time audit.
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Tested with Assistive Technology
Evaluated with Windows Magnifier, Microsoft Text-to-Speech, the ChromeVox screen reader, and the NC State Contrast Tool across Chrome and the tiCrypt Connect desktop application.
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Measured Against WCAG 2.1
Conformance is evaluated at Level A and Level AA. These levels represent the baseline and enhanced accessibility requirements referenced by Section 508, EN 301 549, and university IT accessibility mandates.
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Continuously Updated
This report is updated as new features are released and accessibility improvements are implemented. The evaluation covers the tiCrypt web front-end and the tiCrypt Connect desktop application.
Standards Covered
tiCrypt is evaluated for conformance with WCAG 2.1 at Level A and Level AA. Level AAA criteria are not included because WCAG does not recommend Level AAA conformance as a general policy.
Evaluated
WCAG 2.1 Level A
30 success criteria covering fundamental accessibility requirements including keyboard access, text alternatives, and semantic structure.
Evaluated
WCAG 2.1 Level AA
20 additional criteria covering enhanced requirements including contrast ratios, resize, reflow, focus visibility, and consistent navigation.
Referenced
Section 508
U.S. federal accessibility standard. Section 508 incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference. This evaluation covers the corresponding WCAG 2.1 criteria.
What You Can Do with tiCrypt
tiCrypt is designed to be operable across a range of abilities and input methods.
- Navigate the entire interface using keyboard only
- Use screen readers (ChromeVox, NVDA, VoiceOver)
- Zoom up to 200% without loss of content or functionality
- Adjust text spacing through browser settings
- Operate in both landscape and portrait orientations
- Use the interface at viewport widths as small as 320px
- Navigate with consistent, predictable interaction patterns
- Receive error messages in text alongside visual indicators
- Access all functionality without relying on color alone
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
The table below details how tiCrypt conforms to each WCAG 2.1 success criterion at Level A and Level AA, with technical remarks for each.
This VPAT covers the tiCrypt web front-end and the tiCrypt Connect desktop application. VNC and RDP sessions, managed by the host operating system, are out of scope. VPAT Version 2.5Rev.
Front-Endv2.16.21+
Back-Endv3.13.14+
UpdatedJune 2026
| Criteria | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| Success Criteria, Level A | ||
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Supports | Icons, buttons, and interactive elements include text alternatives via aria-label, aria-labelledby, title attributes, or visible text labels. The application uses 600+ Material Design SVG icons, each with a descriptive accessible name. Decorative elements are marked with aria-hidden="true". No img elements are used for icons. |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not include prerecorded audio-only or video-only content. All information is conveyed through text, data tables, interactive forms, and structured UI elements. |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not include prerecorded synchronized media content. The application contains no embedded video or audio players. |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not include prerecorded video content. VNC and RDP sessions are live interactive remote desktop connections, not prerecorded media. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Supports | All structural relationships are programmatically determinable. Heading hierarchies (h1 through h4) are maintained across all sections. Data tables use semantic th/td markup with scope attributes. Form fields are associated with labels via for/id pairing or aria-labelledby. Grouped controls use fieldset and legend elements. |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | Supports | Content reading order matches visual presentation throughout the application. The DOM order of navigation panels, content areas, action toolbars, and modal overlays follows a logical top-to-bottom, left-to-right sequence. CSS reordering is not used to diverge visual presentation from source order. |
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | Supports | Instructions and status indicators do not rely solely on sensory characteristics. VM status uses both color and distinct icon shapes. Error messages are conveyed in text alongside visual indicators. Button actions are identified by text labels, not solely by position or icon shape. |
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | Supports | Color is never the sole means of conveying information. VM status indicators pair color with distinct icon shapes. Permission categories use both color and text labels. Role badges include the role name in text. Active/inactive states use both a colored dot and a text or icon indicator. |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not produce audio output. There are no notification sounds, background audio, alert tones, or media playback within the web application or the tiCrypt Connect desktop application. |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | Supports | All functionality within the tiCrypt web interface is operable via keyboard without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes. Focus management enables keyboard-only navigation of toolbars, data tables, modals, context menus, tree views, and form fields. VNC and RDP sessions are excluded from scope per the VPAT header. |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | Supports | Keyboard focus is never trapped in any component. Modal dialogs are dismissible via Escape and return focus to the triggering element. The VNC terminal component captures keyboard input only while explicitly focused and releases control when focus moves away. |
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | Supports | All single-character shortcuts are scoped to their respective components and activate only when that component has focus, preventing accidental activation during text input. No global single-character shortcuts conflict with assistive technology key mappings. |
| 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | Supports | Session timeout is configurable by the institution administrator. Users receive a visible on-screen warning prior to session expiration and may extend the session by performing any interaction. The timeout also serves as a cryptographic session security control, qualifying under the WCAG 2.1 Essential Exception for scenarios where the timeout cannot be extended. |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not include moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating content that persists for more than five seconds. Data table contents refresh only on explicit user action. |
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | Supports | Content does not flash more than three times per second. Status indicators use steady-state colors with no animated transitions between states. Loading spinners use smooth CSS transform: rotate() animations with linear easing, producing no discrete frame flashes. All CSS transitions use durations of 150ms or longer with ease timing functions. |
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | Supports | Skip navigation is provided through keyboard shortcuts that bypass repeated toolbar elements. Users can navigate directly to primary sections (Vault, Virtual Machines, Management). The top-level toolbar is exposed as a landmark region using ARIA roles. |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | Supports | Each section has a descriptive title displayed in the toolbar header. The document.title is updated programmatically as the user navigates between sections, reflecting the current view in the browser tab. |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | Supports | Focus order follows the visual layout across all screens. In modal dialogs, focus is trapped within the modal and cycles through fields in visual order. Multi-step wizards advance focus sequentially. When a dialog is dismissed, focus returns to the triggering element. |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | Supports | Navigation tabs have visible text content that directly describes their destination. Context menu items include descriptive text labels that clearly convey the action purpose. No generic link text such as "click here" or "read more" is used. |
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | Supports | tiCrypt does not require multipoint or path-based pointer gestures for any essential functionality. Drag-and-drop for file upload has an equivalent button-based upload path that is fully keyboard-accessible. |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | Supports | All interactive elements use standard HTML click events, which activate on the pointer up event (release) rather than the down event. No custom pointerdown or mousedown handlers are used to trigger actions. Users can cancel an activation by moving the pointer away from the target before releasing. |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | Supports | Visible text labels on buttons, navigation tabs, form fields, and menu items match their programmatic accessible names. No component has a mismatch between its visual label and its ARIA-exposed name. |
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not use device motion (accelerometer, gyroscope) or user gestures (shaking, tilting) to trigger any functionality. |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | Supports | The lang="en" attribute is set on the root html element. All user-facing content is rendered in English. |
| 3.2.1 On Focus | Supports | Receiving keyboard focus on any element does not initiate a change of context. Focusing a sidebar item highlights it visually but does not navigate or alter content until the user explicitly activates it. |
| 3.2.2 On Input | Supports | Changing a form field value does not automatically trigger navigation or context change. All form submissions require explicit user action. Inline validation messages appear adjacent to the field and are exposed to assistive technology via aria-describedby. |
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | Supports | Input errors are identified programmatically and described in text adjacent to the relevant field. Error fields are marked with aria-invalid="true" and associated aria-describedby attributes. |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | Supports | All form fields include visible labels. Placeholder text provides additional format guidance. Multi-step wizards display step numbers and instructions. Required fields are marked with a visual indicator and aria-required="true". |
| 4.1.1 Parsing | Supports | The Angular-generated DOM is well-formed: complete start and end tags, proper nesting, no duplicate attributes, and unique IDs. Angular's template compiler enforces well-formedness at build time. |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Supports | All interactive elements expose appropriate name, role, and value to the accessibility API. Custom components (file browser, VM status table, permission editors, escrow certificate manager) use ARIA roles and properties to communicate state changes. |
| Success Criteria, Level AA | ||
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not include live synchronized media content. The application does not stream live audio or video. VNC and RDP sessions are live interactive remote desktop connections managed by the host operating system and are excluded from scope per the VPAT header. |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not include prerecorded video content. All information is conveyed through text, data tables, and interactive form elements. |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | Supports | tiCrypt supports both landscape and portrait orientations. Compact mode automatically adapts the layout for narrower viewports, collapsing sidebar panels and reflowing table columns. |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | Supports | Form fields use appropriate HTML autocomplete attributes (email, current-password, new-password, given-name, family-name, organization). Input purposes are programmatically identifiable. |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | Supports | Text and interactive elements meet minimum contrast ratios: 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. The color palette has been validated using the NC State Contrast Tool across all primary UI surfaces. |
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | Supports | tiCrypt supports browser zoom up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. No content is clipped, truncated, or overlapped at any zoom level between 100% and 200%. Horizontal scrolling is not introduced at standard viewport widths. Navigation, data tables, modal dialogs, and form fields remain fully operable at all zoom levels. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | Not Applicable | tiCrypt does not use images to display text. All text content is rendered as native, selectable, scalable text. The tiCrypt logo is rendered as SVG, is purely decorative, and is marked with aria-hidden="true". |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | Supports | Content reflows to fit viewports as small as 320 CSS pixels wide without requiring two-dimensional scrolling. The responsive layout adjusts sidebar widths, table columns, and modal dimensions. |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | Supports | All UI components and meaningful graphical elements maintain at least a 3:1 contrast ratio. This includes button borders, input borders, checkbox outlines, status icons, progress bars, and focus indicators. |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | Supports | Content remains readable and functional when users override text spacing to the WCAG-specified maximums: line height 1.5x font size, paragraph spacing 2x font size, letter spacing 0.12x font size, and word spacing 0.16x font size. The layout uses relative units (em, rem) and does not clip or overlap under these conditions. |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | Supports | All hover/focus content (tooltips, dropdowns, autocomplete, context menus) is dismissible via Escape, hoverable without disappearing, and persistent until explicitly dismissed. |
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | Supports | Users can reach content through at least two independent navigation mechanisms. The persistent top toolbar provides section-level navigation. Sidebar panels provide subsection navigation within each section. Keyboard shortcuts allow direct access to primary sections. Data tables support direct row selection. A search and filter system allows users to locate items by name, type, or status across all sections. |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | Supports | All sections use descriptive headings with a consistent h1 through h4 nesting hierarchy. Heading levels are not skipped. Data table columns include header labels with sort indicators that convey direction via both an icon and the aria-sort attribute. Form fields have visible associated labels. Modal dialogs include descriptive title bars rendered as headings. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | Supports | Interactive elements display a visible focus indicator via CSS outline with a minimum 2px width and sufficient contrast against adjacent colors. Focus indicators are applied consistently to buttons, links, form fields, table rows, and custom components using :focus-visible to avoid displaying outlines on mouse click while preserving them for keyboard navigation. |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | Not Applicable | All content is in English. Technical abbreviations (SFTP, LUKS, BitLocker, Slurm) are not foreign-language content. |
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | Supports | Navigation appears in the same relative order across all views. The top-level toolbar, sidebar section panels, and action toolbars persist in identical position and order regardless of the active section. No navigation element changes label, position, or order based on context. |
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | Supports | Components with the same function are identified consistently. Icon usage and interaction patterns are uniform regardless of which section the user is in. For example, the delete action always uses the same icon and label text across all sections. |
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | Supports | When input errors are detected, tiCrypt provides specific correction suggestions: password requirements not met, file upload size or format restrictions, expected input formats, and distinction between login failure types. |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | Supports | Destructive operations (file deletion, VM removal, permission revocation) present explicit confirmation dialogs that describe the action and affected items. Bulk operations display affected item counts before execution. Users can review and confirm before committing irreversible actions. |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | Supports | Status messages use ARIA live regions: file upload progress uses aria-live="polite", operation notifications use role="alert", session warnings use aria-live="assertive". |
Conformance Level Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Supports | The product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation. |
| Partially Supports | Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion. |
| Does Not Support | The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion. |
| Not Applicable | The criterion is not relevant to the product. |
Accessibility Feedback
If you encounter an accessibility barrier in tiCrypt, or if you need this report in an alternative format, contact us. We take accessibility feedback seriously and will respond to all inquiries.
support@terainsights.com"Voluntary Product Accessibility Template" and "VPAT" are registered service marks of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). This report was prepared by Tera Insights, LLC.
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