Pensive AI Grader is designed and tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. You can download our current Accessibility Conformance Report (based on VPAT® Version 2.5Rev) from our VPAT page.
Our product team works on accessibility continuously. We treat it as ongoing work rather than a finished checklist: we aim to meet the standards above across Pensive, but some areas are further along than others, and we are still improving. As we find issues or hear about them from you we prioritize and address them.
This page explains how to navigate Pensive with a keyboard and with assistive technology, and how to reach us if something doesn't work for you.
Semantic structure
We try to keep pages laid out in a predictable way, which makes them quicker to move around with assistive technology.
Headings
Most pages use a single level‑1 heading for the page's name (for example, the assignment name) and level‑2 headings for its main sections. You can use your screen reader's headings list to move to the section you need.
Regions and landmarks
Major regions of the page such as the top bar, the navigation, the main content, and the footer are marked up so you can jump between them with your screen reader's landmark menu instead of tabbing through everything.
Keyboard navigation
Most of Pensive links, buttons, menus, dialogs, form fields, tables, and rubric tools can be reached and operated with the keyboard alone, without a mouse or trackpad. Pensive uses standard web controls, so familiar keys generally behave the way you'd expect, and we work to avoid trapping focus inside a component.
Skip links
Most pages start with navigation that repeats from page to page. When you press Tab, a "Skip to main content" link is the first focusable item. Press Enter to jump to the page's main content and skip past that repeated navigation. The link stays hidden until it is focused, so it's there when you need it and out of the way when you don't.
Focus and tab order
Focus moves through pages in a logical order that follows the visual layout, so content is read in a sensible order, and a visible focus indicator shows where you are. You can move back out of components, including large scrollable tables.
Drag and drop
Where you can drag to rearrange items; such as reordering the items in a grading rubric you can also do it with the keyboard:
Tab to the item's reorder handle. The handle is labelled with the item it controls for example, "Lift reorder handle: Correct expansion of $x(x+1)$…" so you can tell which item you are about to move.
Press Enter or Space to pick the item up. Pensive announces that it is lifted and its current position (for example, "position 4 of 6").
Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move the item; each move and the new position are announced, and you're told when you reach the top or bottom of the list.
Press Enter, Space, or Escape to drop the item in place, which is also announced.
Math, equations, and symbols
Because Pensive is built for math and STEM grading, equations aren't treated as plain pictures they carry information that assistive technology can read.
Equations carry a built-in text description, so screen readers and math tools can read them aloud rather than skipping over them.
You can move keyboard focus onto an equation; it is identified as math, so tools such as the JAWS Math Viewer and VoiceOver can read and explore it term by term.
This applies across Pensive, including questions, rubric items, and feedback.
Reduced motion and animation
If on-screen movement is distracting or uncomfortable, you can reduce it from your device. Pensive respects this preference and reduces non-essential animations there's nothing extra to set inside the app.
iOS: Go to Accessibility. Select Motion, then turn on Reduce motion.
Android: Go to Settings. Select Accessibility, then turn on Remove animations.
Windows: Go to Settings. Select Accessibility, then Visual effects, and turn off Animation effects.
macOS: Go to System Settings. Select Accessibility, then Display, and turn on Reduce motion.
Contact and feedback
If you encounter an accessibility barrier in Pensive, or if you need information in a different format, we want to hear from you. Email us at support@pensive.com and let us know the page you were on and what you were trying to do. Your feedback helps us make Pensive more accessible.