Accessibility statement
Paperlink AI powers chat assistants on websites run by businesses, towns, special districts and schools. Everyone who visits those sites should be able to ask a question and read the answer, whatever device or assistive technology they use.
Last reviewed: October 1, 2026
Conformance status
The Paperlink AI chat widget, in both its pop-up and inline (embedded) forms, is designed and tested to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, the standard referenced by the ADA Title II rule for state and local government websites.
This is a self-assessment. We know of no failures of Level AA in the widget today; the limitations below describe what is still being verified and what depends on each website's own settings.
How the chat widget meets WCAG 2.1 AA
| Criterion | How the widget supports it |
|---|---|
| 1.1.1Non-text content | Icons are hidden from assistive technology; every icon-only button has a text label (for example "Send message" and "Close chat"). |
| 1.3.1Info and relationships | The chat is a labelled dialog (or a labelled region in inline mode). Your messages are prefixed "You" for screen readers, suggested questions are a labelled group, and every form field has a label. |
| 1.4.3Contrast (minimum) | All text in the default theme meets at least 4.5:1. Contrast of every color pair is checked automatically on each change. |
| 1.4.4 / 1.4.10Resize text and reflow | The panel fits narrow screens (down to 320 px wide) and works with browser zoom without horizontal scrolling. |
| 1.4.11Non-text contrast | Text field borders, focus indicators and the typing indicator meet at least 3:1 against their background. |
| 2.1.1 / 2.1.2Keyboard, no keyboard trap | Everything works with a keyboard: open, type, send (Enter, Shift+Enter for a new line), suggested questions, contact links and the transcript form. Escape closes the chat. |
| 2.3.3Animation from interactions | When your system asks for reduced motion, the launcher bounce, the typing animation and transitions are switched off. |
| 2.4.3Focus order | Opening the chat moves focus to the question box. While the pop-up chat is open, Tab stays inside it; closing it returns focus to the chat button. Focus never gets lost when suggested questions disappear. |
| 2.4.7Focus visible | Every interactive element shows a high-contrast focus ring, including on dark backgrounds and in Windows high-contrast mode. |
| 3.3.1 / 3.3.2Error identification, labels | Errors (connection problems, rate limits, reply limits) are shown as text in the conversation and read out by screen readers. Form fields say when they are optional. |
| 4.1.2Name, role, value | Built on standard HTML controls and WAI-ARIA. The chat button announces that it opens a dialog; busy answers are marked as busy. |
| 4.1.3Status messages | Each finished answer is announced once, in full, instead of word by word while it is being written. Errors are announced too. |
How we test
- Automated checks with axe-core run on every code change, covering the closed launcher, an open conversation with suggested questions, the contact form, error and limit messages, and inline mode.
- Automated contrast checks of every text, control and focus color pair in the widget's theme.
- Keyboard-only walkthroughs of the full conversation flow in current desktop browsers.
- Manual screen reader testing (VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, NVDA on Windows) is planned.
Compatibility
The widget uses standard HTML and WAI-ARIA, and supports the current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop and mobile, together with the screen readers and other assistive technologies that work with them.
Known limitations
- Answers are generated by AI from the website owner's documents and can be wrong or incomplete. The source documents themselves are not shown in the chat.
- Each website chooses the chat's brand color and logo. The widget picks white or dark text for the best contrast, but some mid-tone brand colors can fall below 4.5:1. We recommend site owners choose a brand color that passes.
- We have not yet completed a manual audit with screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS). It is planned; this statement will be updated with the results.
- This statement covers the embeddable chat widget. The Paperlink AI dashboard for website owners has not yet been assessed.
Report a barrier
If something in a Paperlink AI chat doesn't work for you, email support@paperlinkai.com. Tell us the website you were on, what you were trying to do, and the browser and assistive technology you use. We aim to reply within 5 business days. If you need the information from a chat in another format, contact the website owner as well; they can share their documents directly.