Accessibility · Bright Atoms

The short version

We aim for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, level AA. The site is partly compliant. The reading pages meet it in the checks we have run. The simulations are drawn on a canvas and are not fully usable with a screen reader yet.
Every simulation has a description in words underneath it, and every lesson’s facts are in its text, so you don’t need the simulation to learn anything here.
The Motion button at the top of every page stops all animation.
In the periodic table, colour is never the only way to tell elements apart: each square also carries a code or a value.
If something doesn’t work for you, email hello@fallinghippo.com with “Accessibility” in the subject. We reply within 5 working days.

1. Our commitment

Bright Atoms is an educational site, so being usable by as many people as possible matters more than it would on most sites. FALLINGHIPPO LIMITED, which runs it, has a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can use its services. The accessibility regulations for public sector websites don’t apply to us, but we follow the same approach and publish this statement the way the government’s guidance describes.

We aim to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA, which is the standard the UK government uses.

2. How accessible the site is

Bright Atoms is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 level AA. Section 4 lists what doesn’t meet it.

What works:

Reading pages. The lessons, element pages, glossary and other pages are ordinary text pages with proper headings, links, lists and tables. They reflow when you zoom, and read in a sensible order.
A skip link. Every page starts with a “Skip to content” link for keyboard users.
Text size and zoom. The layouts follow the window, from a wide screen to a phone. You can enlarge text in your browser.
Colour and contrast. Text is dark on a near-white background. Body text has a contrast ratio of more than 15 to 1, secondary text more than 6 to 1, and the faintest small print at least 4.5 to 1.
Colour is never the only cue. In the periodic table every square shows a short code for its family, or the value being shown, as well as its colour. Positive and negative parts of orbitals are told apart by colour, and the text says which is which.
Motion. Animations start paused if your device asks for reduced motion. The Motion button turns every animation on the site off or on, and each animation has its own Pause button. Nothing flashes.
The simulations in words. Under every simulation, “What the simulation shows, in words” describes it. Readouts beside each simulation are text, and update as you move the controls, so a screen reader can follow the numbers.
Controls. The sliders and buttons that drive the simulations are standard form controls with labels, and work with the keyboard. The orbital pictures can be turned with the arrow keys.
No time limits, no sign-in, no pop-ups.
Language. Pages are marked as British English.

3. What we have checked

On 11 November 2026 we checked the pages at desktop and phone width, worked through the simulations with the keyboard, checked text contrast against the colours we use, and checked that every page builds without errors. We haven’t yet run a full automated audit of every page, had the site audited by an independent accessibility specialist, or tested the simulations with screen readers, screen magnifiers or switch devices. Please treat this statement as our honest best account, not a guarantee.

4. What doesn’t work yet

The simulations are pictures to a screen reader. Each is drawn on a canvas, which assistive technology sees as one image with a label. The label changes as the simulation changes, and the description underneath says what it shows, but you can’t explore individual particles. This affects WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content) in part.
Dragging. The orbital pictures turn by dragging. They also turn with the arrow keys, but not yet with on-screen buttons, which affects criterion 2.5.7 (dragging movements) on touch screens without a keyboard.
Colours inside simulations. Some simulations use colour to tell particles apart, such as sodium and chloride ions. The key next to each one names them, and sizes differ, but we haven’t checked every one for people with every type of colour blindness.

We are working on these. We will update this page as each one is done.

5. What you can use instead

The lesson text. Every fact a simulation shows is also in the lesson, with the working.
The list of elements. Under the periodic table is a plain list of all 118 elements, and each has its own text page.
Another format. If you need information from a page in a different form, such as plain text, large print or a description of a diagram, email us and say which page. We will do our best to give it to you in a reasonable time.

6. Tell us about a problem

If you can’t use part of the site, find something confusing, or think we have got something wrong here, email hello@fallinghippo.com with “Accessibility” in the subject. Please tell us the page, what you were trying to do, what happened and what you use to browse. We reply within 5 working days.

7. If you’re not happy with our reply

If you contact us and aren’t happy with how we respond, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) at equalityadvisoryservice.com, which gives advice and help on discrimination and equality. If you live in Northern Ireland, you can contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland instead.

8. Technical information

Bright Atoms is built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It works best in a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. The reading pages work without JavaScript. The simulations and the periodic table’s colour options need it.

This statement was prepared on 11 November 2026. We will review it at least once a year and when we change the site in a way that affects it.

11 November 2026. First version.