Accessibility

Last updated October 8, 2026

Parhelia aims to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 at level AA. This statement says what that means on a page whose main object is a picture of the sky, what is measured, and where the picture still asks for eyes.

What is built in

• Every control is reachable and usable with a keyboard, in reading order, with a visible focus ring. A skip link jumps to the sky.
• With the sky focused, the arrow keys raise and lower the Sun half a degree at a time.
• Every control has a written label, and every slider shows its value in text beside it.
• Text meets a contrast of at least 4.5 to 1 against its background, and large text and controls at least 3 to 1.
• Arcs on the sky are named in words, not told apart by colour alone, and the Labels on the Sky switch keeps that choice in the link.
• With reduced motion set in your system, nothing animates, and the traced sky updates at most once a second instead of four times.
• Text inputs use a 16-pixel size so phones do not zoom, and tap targets are at least 44 pixels tall.

The sky, in words

The traced sky is drawn on a canvas, which a screen reader cannot explore. Its description names the view, the Sun's altitude, the crystal mix, any arc shown alone, and every arc drawn. The Arcs and Their Faces list gives each arc's computed position in degrees as text, and updates as the Sun moves. The receipts tables give every published value and the page's own figure in text.

What is still visual

Comparing a photo with the traced sky is a visual task, and so is judging how bright one arc is next to another. The crystal drawing has a written caption naming the two faces, but the drawing itself is a picture.

How it is checked

Each release is measured on the live page with automated checks for contrast, names, landmarks and keyboard reach at phone and desktop widths, and for tap-target size on three device sizes. Automated checks find part of what matters, not all of it.

Tell us

If something on Parhelia does not work with the way you use the web, write to PaintedApp, LLC at support@painted.app. Say what you were trying to do and what you use, and we will answer.