Openlywell Accessibility Statement
Openlywell should be designed so adults can use sexual-health information with a keyboard, screen reader, zoom, voice input, captions or other assistive technology. The product target should be WCAG 2.2 Level AA, with accessibility included in design, development, editorial workflow and QA rather than added at the end.
Accessibility is especially important for private health information because a reader may already be under stress. Navigation should be predictable, language should be plain, warning messages should not rely on colour alone and essential content should not be hidden behind inaccessible interactions.
Openlywell should also avoid treating accessibility as only a technical issue. Editorial accessibility includes descriptive headings, short paragraphs, clear definitions, meaningful link text and diagrams that have useful alternative text.
Keyboard access
Menus, accordions, forms and dialogs should be fully usable without a mouse, with visible focus indicators and logical focus order.
Screen-reader structure
Use semantic headings, landmarks, lists, buttons and form labels. Do not use visual styling alone to simulate headings.
Colour and contrast
Text and controls should meet contrast requirements. Urgent-care information must include text labels or icons with accessible names rather than relying on red alone.
Zoom and reflow
Article content should reflow at high zoom and narrow mobile widths without requiring horizontal scrolling for normal reading.
Media
Video needs captions and relevant audio description or transcripts. Avoid autoplaying sexual-health media that could compromise privacy or accessibility.
Reporting barriers
The site should offer an accessibility contact form that asks for the page URL and problem but warns users not to include unnecessary private medical information.
Practical context and next steps
This accessibility page is part of Openlywell’s trust framework. Readers should be able to understand not only the information itself but also how it is created, reviewed and corrected. The sections on keyboard access and screen-reader structure make the standard visible rather than asking users to trust a health website simply because it looks professional.
The policy should be implemented in the product, not left as aspirational copy. CMS fields, permissions, review dates and visible author/reviewer profiles should reflect what this page promises. If the operational process changes, the published policy should be updated so the website and the real workflow remain consistent.
Transparency is especially important for sexual-health information because users may be making private decisions about testing, contraception, symptoms or relationships. Clear limits reduce the chance that a reader mistakes general education for personalised care. Related pages such as Contact, About Openlywell should use the same trust standard.
Questions such as “What accessibility standard should Openlywell target?” and “Do FAQ accordions need keyboard support?” belong in a visible FAQ because readers should not have to infer how Openlywell works. Policy language should stay plain, specific and verifiable rather than making broad claims such as “always accurate,” “completely confidential” or “medically approved” when those claims cannot be demonstrated.
A decision checklist for this topic
Before acting on anything you read here, run through this short check.
Before acting on information about accessibility, make a short personal checklist. What exactly are you trying to prevent, understand or improve? Is the issue new or longstanding? Are there symptoms, pain, bleeding, pregnancy possibility, recent exposures, medicines or health conditions that change the decision? Which parts of the page — especially Keyboard access, Screen-reader structure, Colour and contrast — apply directly to you, and which are only background information? This approach reduces the chance of taking one sentence out of context or assuming that a common possibility is automatically your diagnosis.
If you are still uncertain after reading, use the questions on this page to decide the next step rather than continuing to search indefinitely. Common starting questions include: What accessibility standard should Openlywell target?; Do FAQ accordions need keyboard support?; Should article images have alt text?. Write down the answer you already know and what remains unknown. Then use Contact, About Openlywell or an appropriate healthcare professional to fill the gap. Seeking care is especially important when the missing information depends on examination, a laboratory test, prescription treatment, pregnancy-specific advice or urgent timing.
When to get professional or urgent help
•Accessibility feedback is not a route for emergency medical advice.
Safety note: If symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening or described above as urgent, use the appropriate local emergency or same-day healthcare service rather than waiting for an online answer.
Questions & Clear Answers
WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
References & Sources
Openlywell articles are compiled with reference to published guidance from international public-health authorities, professional colleges and peer-reviewed literature.
- [1]WHO — Defining sexual health