Accessibility Statement

The Cave Biology Data Portal is intended to be usable by everyone, including people who use a screen reader, navigate with a keyboard, or need larger text. This page sets out what we have done, what we know is not yet right, and how to tell us about a problem.

Standards we work to

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA. We are not claiming full conformance. Parts of the site have not been formally audited, and the known gaps below are real.

What we have done

  • Species accounts and taxon pages use ordinary headings, lists, and tables, so a screen reader can move through them by structure.
  • Color is never the only way information is conveyed. Conservation ranks appear as text and on a colored scale, and the photograph column includes a title as well as a symbol.
  • Conservation rank graphics are inline SVG with descriptive labels rather than images of text.
  • Postal abbreviations in tables carry the full state name, readable by screen reader and on hover.
  • The image lightbox can be opened and closed from the keyboard, moves between images with the arrow keys, closes with Escape, and returns focus to where it was.
  • Filters and search on the Browse page are ordinary form controls with labels, and work without a mouse.
  • Text uses relative sizing, so it scales with your browser or operating system settings rather than being fixed.

Known limitations

We would rather list these than leave you to discover them:

  • Some images do not yet have alternative text. We are adding it as accounts are reviewed, and images without it are flagged in our own records.
  • Distribution maps are generated graphics. They carry a text description of the range, but the map itself is not navigable.
  • Large data tables, such as a genus with more than a hundred species, can be tiring to navigate by screen reader. The Browse page filters are usually a better route to a particular species.
  • Some content is drawn from other databases and reproduces their formatting, including abbreviations we do not control.

Telling us about a problem

If you cannot access something on this site, please let us know. A short description of what you were trying to do, the page you were on, and the software you were using is enough.

Write to info@cavebiology.org. We aim to reply within five working days and will tell you what we can do and when.

If you need information from an account in a different format, ask, and we will send it.

Last updated: This statement was last updated on 15 August 2026.