Accessibility: keyboard, screen readers and right-to-left
How the signing page and the app work with a keyboard, a screen reader, zoom and right-to-left languages, and what we have and have not tested.
SignSpry is built to WCAG 2.2 AA, with particular attention to the signing page, because signers are people who didn't choose your software. "Built to" is the accurate wording: we have not been certified, and there has been no independent audit. New and changed pages go through an automated accessibility check before release. That is no substitute for testing with real assistive technology.
Signing with a keyboard
Everything a signer needs can be reached without a mouse.
- Skip to content. The first Tab on any page reveals a Skip to content link.
- Fields are tab stops. Each field on the document can be reached with Tab and opened with Enter or Space. A field that is zoomed off the edge scrolls into view when it gets focus.
- Dropdown fields are listboxes. Arrow keys move, Home and End jump, Enter or Space picks, Escape closes.
- Dialogs keep focus inside. Tab cycles within the open dialog (draw a signature, decline, assign to someone else), Escape closes it, and focus returns to where it was.
- The focus ring is always visible to keyboard users, and is never removed.
- Stamps and attachments can be chosen from the keyboard, including the upload button for your own stamp image.
Signing with a screen reader
- Each page has one main region and a hidden heading naming the document and who sent it.
- Each field is announced with its label, its state ("Signed" or "Completed", or the value), whether it is required, and which page it is on.
- Progress ("3 of 5 complete") and messages such as a missing consent tick are read out as they change.
- Form errors, for example in the text field window, are announced when they appear.
- Icon buttons have text labels, and links that open in a new tab say so.
- The access code and one-time code boxes are labelled, and an error is announced and linked to the box.
No drawing required
Drawing a signature needs a pointer and a steady hand. The Type tab in the signature window is a full alternative: type your name and it is placed as the signature. Both choices are real buttons that a keyboard reaches.
Zoom, size and motion
- The document has zoom buttons, from Fit to width up to 300 %.
- Long words, addresses and links wrap to fit the screen rather than running off the edge.
- Smooth scrolling and animations are turned off for people whose system asks for reduced motion.
- Form controls are sized for touch on phones. See Using SignSpry on a phone.
Right-to-left languages
Arabic, Hebrew and Urdu run right to left. In the app and on the signing page the whole layout mirrors, not just the text. The document itself is a PDF and keeps its own reading direction. Scripts are drawn with proper shaping in certificates and stamps, including Arabic and Indian scripts. On the certificate, names, addresses and hashes are kept left to right, so a right-to-left label cannot pull them out of order.
Language
Signers pick their language on the page, and the page, its messages and the emails follow. See Signing in other languages and Choosing your language.
Something doesn't work for you
Tell us what you were doing and what you use: write to support@signspry.com, or use Support if you are signed in. If you are a sender and a signer tells you they can't complete a document, you can complete it with them through in-person signing, or arrange another way to sign.