Watermark’s mission is to put better data into the hands of administrators, faculty, and students everywhere in order to empower them to connect information and gain insights into learning which will drive meaningful improvements. We support hundreds of higher education institutions and millions of users with varying needs. We are committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities and are continually improving the user experience for everyone by applying the relevant accessibility standards.
Watermark ensures accessibility is considered at all stages of product development from design to launch. Specifically, we take the following measures to ensure accessibility of products:
- Including accessibility throughout our internal policies governing product development and support
- Integrating accessibility into our procurement practices
- Employing a full-time Director of Accessibility and Accessibility Specialist, who both hold certifications by IAAP
- Providing continual accessibility training for our staff
- Assigning clear accessibility targets and responsibilities
- Employing formal accessibility quality assurance methods
- Providing employees with different forums to help them stay updated on accessibility best practices
Conformance status
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Watermark has adopted WCAG 2.1, level A and AA as our go forward target for conformance. Conformance status for individual products is detailed on applicable Accessibility Conformance Reports (VPATs) which are available upon request from support@watermarkinsights.com.
Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our products. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility issues by contacting our support team at support@watermarkinsights.com.
We try to respond to feedback within 2 business days.
Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology
We design and develop our products to be compatible with the following combination of browser and screen readers. Compatibility of other assistive technologies can be made available on request.
- Chrome NVDA
- Chrome JAWS
- Safari VoiceOver
- Firefox NVDA
- Firefox JAWS
We recommend the use of Chrome and NVDA. There are known issues with Internet Explorer and assistive technology. We do not recommend or support the use of Internet Explorer and assistive technology.
Technical specifications
Accessibility of Watermark products relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:
- HTML
- WAI-ARIA
- CSS
- JavaScript
These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.
Limitations and alternatives
Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of products, there may be limitations. Please refer to the Accessibility Conformance Reports (VPATs) for any known issues. These reports are updated regularly and are available upon request from support@watermarkinsights.com. Our support team is also equipped to provide work arounds, where possible. Please contact us if you observe any additional issues.
Assessment approach
Watermark assesses the accessibility of products using the following approaches:
- A formal quality assurance process is in place during which testing takes place both using automated tools and manual testing with assistive technologies during the product development lifecycle. Our staff receives training on a regular basis.
- All products are audited a minimum on an annual basis by a trained and experienced accessibility evaluator who is CPWA certified by IAAP.
- When needed, Watermark enlists third parties, such as Deque Systems, Inc. for accessibility testing and consulting.
- When needed, Watermark tests with users who have disabilities in partnership with our clients.
Our support for the accessibility community
Watermark has supported multiple events to improve accessibility in higher education, including Open AIR by Knowbility and Accessing Higher Ground. If your organization serves the accessibility community in higher ed and you have ideas to partner with us, please feel welcome to contact us using our contact form — we’d love to know!
Evaluation report
Accessibility Conformance Reports may be requested via email from support@watermarkinsights.com. Please be sure to specify the related product.
Formal approval of this accessibility statement
This Accessibility Statement is approved by:
Watermark’s Legal Department
All complaints can be sent to Watermark Support via email (support@watermarkinsights.com) and we will respond within two business days.