Accessibility Statement

Last updated: March 2026

Defined Terms

Stanza Ink is the official trade name under which this platform operates. Throughout this document the following terms are used interchangeably:

  • "Stanza Ink" — the official trade name
  • "Stanza" — the platform and app
  • "we", "us", "our" — Lycan Creative Inc., the legal entity operating Stanza Ink, incorporated in Alberta, Canada
  • "you", "your" — the individual or entity using the Service
  • "Service" — the Stanza Ink platform, including the iOS app, Android app, and web application at stanza.ink

Last Updated: March 26, 2026 | Next Review: March 2027

Lycan Creative Inc. is committed to ensuring that Stanza is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. We believe poetry — and the communities it creates — should be available to everyone, regardless of how they interact with the web or their device.

Our Commitment

We are working toward conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA across our web application (stanza.ink) and our iOS and Android mobile applications. This is an ongoing and active effort. We do not claim full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance at the time of this writing, but we are committed to reaching and maintaining it. A dedicated development ticket tracking all accessibility work is maintained in our public GitHub repository.

Current Accessibility Features

Web Application (stanza.ink)

  • Semantic HTML5 landmark elements used throughout (nav, main, article, section, header, footer)
  • Skip-to-main-content link present on all pages for keyboard users
  • ARIA labels on all icon-only buttons and interactive controls
  • Colour contrast reviewed against WCAG 2.1 AA (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text) for our primary parchment/dark theme
  • Responsive font sizing using CSS clamp() for readability at all screen sizes, including ultrawide and 4K displays
  • Light mode and dark mode support, respecting user system preference and stored per-account
  • Visible focus indicators on all interactive elements when navigating by keyboard
  • Meaningful alt text on all images; decorative images marked aria-hidden
  • All form inputs have programmatically associated labels
  • Error messages are descriptive and linked to their form field via aria-describedby
  • Notification groupings described with text labels, not colour alone
  • Do Not Track browser signal respected (disables PostHog analytics)

Mobile Application (iOS and Android)

  • VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) support for primary navigation and content reading
  • Dynamic Type / font scaling respected on iOS (system font size setting)
  • Touch target sizes at or above the 44x44 point minimum recommended by Apple and Google
  • Sufficient colour contrast across the Material Design theme (seed colour #F5E6CC)
  • Screen reader labels on icon buttons, bottom navigation, and floating action buttons
  • Themed splash screen uses app icon with sufficient contrast against both parchment and dark backgrounds

Known Limitations and Active Work

We are aware of the following accessibility gaps and are actively addressing them:

  • Audio submission playback controls need improved ARIA labels for screen readers (in progress)
  • Feed dynamic updates (new posts loading) do not yet announce to screen readers via ARIA live regions (planned)
  • Inner Circle management UI and notification expansion need additional keyboard navigation testing (in progress)
  • Some status indicators in the moderation tools use colour alone — text labels are being added (in progress)
  • Full keyboard-only navigation test across all primary user flows pending (scheduled for next milestone)
  • axe-core automated accessibility testing not yet integrated into CI pipeline (planned)
  • Transcript or caption upload for audio poem submissions not yet available (on roadmap)

Assistive Technologies We Test With

  • VoiceOver on iOS 16+ with Safari and the native Stanza iOS app
  • TalkBack on Android 12+ with Chrome and the native Stanza Android app
  • NVDA with Mozilla Firefox on Windows
  • Keyboard-only navigation (no pointer device) in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

User-Generated Content

A significant portion of content on Stanza is created by users. We cannot guarantee that user-submitted poems, audio recordings, or profile information meets accessibility standards. We encourage all users to:

  • Add content warnings to sensitive or intense content
  • Provide text transcripts alongside audio-only poems when possible
  • Use descriptive titles for their submissions to help readers who use screen readers or search

Tools to help users create more accessible content (transcript upload, alt text for embedded images, content warning templates) are on our public roadmap.

Feedback and Contact

We actively want to hear about accessibility barriers you experience. If you encounter difficulty using Stanza due to a disability, or if you have suggestions for how we can improve, please contact us:

Email: hello@stanza.ink | Subject line: Accessibility Feedback

We aim to respond to all accessibility feedback within 5 business days. If a specific feature creates a barrier for you, we will work to provide an alternative means of access while the barrier is being addressed.

Formal Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility concern, you may contact the relevant accessibility authority in your jurisdiction. In Canada: the Canadian Human Rights Commission (chrc-ccdp.gc.ca). In the United States: the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

About This Statement

This accessibility statement was prepared in March 2026 based on a self-assessment of the platform. It will be reviewed and updated at least every 12 months and following any significant platform update that may affect accessibility. A third-party accessibility audit is planned within the next 12 months.

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