Our commitment to access

The standard we hold ourselves to

We are building Sayella to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA, across both this website and the app. Accessibility is the whole point of an AAC tool, so we treat conformance as a baseline rather than a finish line. Some areas already meet this standard and some are still in progress. We say below where we are honest about the gaps.

This statement covers the Sayella marketing website and the Sayella communication app on every platform we ship. Sayella is built for iPhone, iPad, Android and the web (any browser, including on Windows). iPhone and iPad are available now, with Android and the web coming.

Access methods we support

A communicator should be able to reach every word in the way that works for their body. Sayella is designed for a range of access methods from the start rather than bolting them on. Touch and screen readers are available now, and switch scanning and auditory scanning are on the way.

Touch

Direct selection with large, fixed targets and adjustable hit areas, so an imprecise or tremoring touch still lands on the word that was meant.

Screen readers

VoiceOver on Apple devices and TalkBack on Android are supported, with meaningful labels, roles and reading order so the interface can be operated without sight of the screen.

Switch scanning and auditory scanning (coming soon)

One and two switch scanning with linear, row-column and group-item patterns is on our roadmap, not yet switched on at launch. The engine is built, and we are holding it back until we have tested it with real physical switches. When it arrives, scan timing will be configurable, with scan rate, acceptance time and re-scan delay tuned to the individual, and a high-contrast highlight that never relies on colour alone. Auditory scanning, for a user who scans by ear, will follow in the same way.

Visual access

• Colour is never the only signal. We use the Modified Fitzgerald colour key to code words by part of speech, but every button always pairs that colour with a symbol and the printed word. Removing colour never removes meaning.
• High-contrast and CVI themes. Alternative themes for low vision and for cortical or cerebral visual impairment (CVI), reducing clutter and lifting contrast.
• Adjustable board and text. Board size, symbol size, label position and text size can be adjusted to suit the communicator. Choosing a different board size re-arranges the board to fit, which is the one deliberate change you control.

Motor access and stability

• Large, fixed targets. Core words sit in generous, consistently placed targets with adjustable hit areas.
• Buttons stay where they are. The full set of core words for the board size is always shown, with nothing hidden or greyed out, and buttons stay put as you use the board. Motor planning stays stable, so reaching a known word can become automatic.
• Protected editing. Everyday talking mode is locked, so a button cannot be moved or deleted by accident during a conversation.

Two promises we will not break

• Speech is never disabled. The ability to speak is part of the free tier and stays available offline, forever, even if a subscription lapses. We will never switch off a person's voice.
• Reduced motion is respected. Where the system requests reduced motion, animation is removed and content is presented in its calm, final state. Movement is never required to understand or operate Sayella.

Tell us about a barrier

If something in Sayella or on this site gets in the way of communicating, we want to hear about it, and we treat it as a priority. Describe what you were trying to do, the device and access method you were using, and what happened. We aim to reply within five working days.

Ongoing work and a formal audit

Sayella is in active development, and accessibility work is continuous. We test with the access methods above as part of building each feature, and we are recruiting speech and language therapists and AAC users to test with us directly.

We are committed to commissioning a formal, independent accessibility audit against WCAG 2.2 AA, and to publishing the results, including anything it finds that we have not yet fixed. We would rather be specific and honest than claim a clean bill of health we have not earned. This statement will be dated and updated as that work lands.