Q: Is there a Web Accessibility Road Map for Forest?

A: Yep! See Forest's Web Accessibility Road Map below: 

Forest is committed to ensuring that the information and technology it provides is accessible in accordance with applicable law (including Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.) In addition, Forest endeavors that web based content adhere to WCAG 2.1 level AA.

Conformance status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and engineers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. 

Forest’s website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level A.

We are actively working to upgrade portions of our software that are currently not accessible and will continue to do so moving forward with each software release to reach and sustain accessibility conformance.

How we plan to support accessibility

Forest plans to take the following measures to enable accessibility practices:

• Assigning clear accessibility targets, goals, and responsibilities.
• Recommending the inclusion of web accessibility as a requirement of every feature or software release.
• Employing formal accessibility quality assurance methods and ongoing web accessibility conformance testing.
• Investing in continual web accessibility training for our employees.

Our roadmap to improve accessibility

Forest Software is currently undergoing an accessibility project to create a more inclusive software experience. Forest’s goal is to deliver an experience that meets or exceeds the WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines by Q1 2023. The following is a list of planned activity and estimated delivery:

• Audit: Q4 2022
• Redesign Non-accessible Elements: Q1 2022
• Development Initiated: Q2 2022
• Development Completed: Q4 2022
• Testing & Quality Assurance: Q1 2023
• In-person testing with Knowbility: Q1 2023
• Estimated Launch: Ongoing rollout of new features as they are completed and tested.

Accessibility testing

Automated and Manual Testing, and Issue Resolution:

• This list is not finalized but may include tools like:
• Accessibility Insights - assessment to handle the automated, manual, and assisted checks
• Lighthouse - general testing & issues resolution
• Axe Pro - general testing & issues resolution
• WAVE - general testing, issue resolution, & color contrast
• NVDA Screen Reader - screen reader testing on Windows
• VoiceOver - screen reader testing on OS X and iOS

In-person Accessibility Testing:

• No in-person testing with disabled users has been completed at this point. On completion of automated and manual testing, Forest will be working with Knowbility and UserZoom for in-person disability testing.

Testing Frequency:

• Accessibility testing of Forest Software will be ongoing with the rollout of new features as they are completed. 
• TBD:
• Additionally Forest may implement an ongoing monitoring tool or an annual/bi-annual accessibility audit to ensure continued compliance.     

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

Forest Software is not compatible with:

• Web browsers older than 3 major versions
• Any version of Internet Explorer
• Mobile operating systems older than 5 years
• Some assistive technology - as part of Forest’s commitment to accessibility, its engineering team is developing a list of items that are not compatible with the most common assistive technology. These items will be fixed, tested and deployed on completion.