Accessibility
Accessibility conformance report
Blurt, Mac 0.5.3, Windows 0.4.2, Chrome extension 0.3.0. VPAT 2.5, Revised Section 508 edition. Report date August 22, 2026.
About this report
- Product
- Blurt, Mac 0.5.3, Windows 0.4.2, Chrome extension 0.3.0
- Vendor
- SDEREKS, LLC (Blurt), Austin, Texas
- Report date
- August 22, 2026
- Contact
- support@justblurt.com
- Standards and guidelines
- WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA; Revised Section 508 (2017, corrected 2018) Chapters 3, 5, and 6. VPAT 2.5 Revised Section 508 Edition.
- Evaluation methods used
- Mac app: an accessibility audit built into the app (the BLURT_AX_AUDIT harness) walked every window and section of the shipping build on macOS 26 and recorded the accessibility tree that VoiceOver reads: role, name, value, enabled state, focusability, and actions for 310 elements across the Home window's eight sections, with a screenshot of each; keyboard operation was checked with macOS Full Keyboard Access; contrast was measured from the app's color tokens. Chrome extension: axe-core 4.x automated checks and a recorded keyboard tab-order pass over the popup and the microphone-permission page (zero violations). Windows app: code review of the WPF and WinForms control set, the UI Automation names each control exposes, and keyboard handling; a live Narrator session on Windows 11 is scheduled on the Windows build machine and this report will be re-issued with its results. No live VoiceOver or Narrator listening session was part of this evaluation; the Mac results come from the same accessibility tree VoiceOver speaks, captured programmatically.
- Notes
- Blurt is a dictation utility: the user holds a key (or taps it twice for hands-free) and speaks, and the words are typed where the cursor is. Its own interface is small: a menu bar or tray icon, a Home window with settings, a short first-run setup, and a small on-screen status capsule while listening. This report covers the Mac app, the Windows app, and the Chrome extension; where a result differs by platform the remark says so. Chapter 4 (hardware) is not applicable: Blurt ships no hardware. Level AAA was not evaluated and is not required for United States federal procurement. Speech is the product's purpose, so the one criterion Blurt does not meet is operation without speech (302.6); every other function works without speech.
Terms
- Supports: the functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.
- Partially Supports: some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.
- Does Not Support: the majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.
- Not Applicable: the criterion is not relevant to the product.
- Not Evaluated: the product has not been evaluated against the criterion. Used only in WCAG Level AAA.
Table 1: WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria, Level A
Applies to the Mac and Windows apps (software) and to the Chrome extension's own pages (web). The text Blurt types into other programs is the user's own content in the user's own application.
| Criteria | Conformance level | Remarks and explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Supports | Mac app: all 18 images in the Home window carry a description; decorative icons are hidden from VoiceOver. Windows app: icons carry automation names or are decorative. Chrome extension: axe-core found no image without a text alternative. |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | Blurt contains no prerecorded audio or video. The start and stop sounds are short cues with a visual equivalent (the status capsule and menu bar state). |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No prerecorded media. |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No prerecorded media. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Supports | Mac app: settings use standard SwiftUI controls, so labels, groups, and values are exposed programmatically (for example the slider named "Double-tap window in milliseconds" exposes its value). Windows app: standard WPF controls with associated labels. Chrome extension: form fields have labels; headings are in order (axe-core passes for label, heading-order, and landmarks). |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | Supports | Reading order follows the visual order on every platform; the audit recorded the Mac accessibility tree in the same order the window shows. |
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | Supports | Instructions refer to controls by name (for example "Turn on private mode"), never by shape, position, or color alone. |
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | Supports | Listening, cleaning, and Private mode states are shown with text and icons as well as color. The menu bar item and status capsule use words. |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | Supports | The only audio Blurt plays is a start and a stop cue under one second each. Both can be turned off in Audio settings (Mac and Windows). |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | Supports | Dictation is keyboard-driven by design: hold the talk key, or tap it twice for hands-free, and the key is rebindable. Mac app: every control in the Home window is a standard control and is reachable with macOS Full Keyboard Access on (System Settings, Keyboard); with it off, macOS limits Tab to text fields and lists, which is the platform default and not specific to Blurt. Windows app: Tab and arrow keys move through all controls. Chrome extension: the recorded tab order reaches every button, field, and link. |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | Supports | No trap found on any platform. The talk key is consumed only while held or toggled; every other keystroke passes through to the user's application. |
| 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | Supports | No time limits on using the interface. The hands-free listening session has no timeout other than the optional silence stop, which the user controls. |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | Supports | The only moving content is the listening waveform in the status capsule. It lasts only while Blurt is listening, ends when the user stops, and the capsule can be turned off entirely in Audio and Insertion settings (Mac) and on the Home window (Windows). Blurt does not yet read the system Reduce Motion setting; planned. |
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | Supports | Nothing flashes. The listening indicator is a slow pulse, well under three flashes per second. |
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | Supports | Mac app and Windows app: the Home window is one screen with a sidebar; no repeated blocks. Chrome extension: one short page per surface (axe-core bypass check passes). |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | Supports | Windows carry titles (for example "blurt"). Chrome extension: both pages have a document title. |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | Supports | Focus moves top to bottom, left to right, in the visual order. The extension's recorded tab order matches the page order. |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | Supports | Links are named by their destination (Terms, Privacy Policy, justblurt.com). No "click here". |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | Supports | Chrome extension: the pages declare lang="en" (axe-core passes). Native apps use the system language setting; the interface is English. |
| 3.2.1 On Focus | Supports | Focusing a control never changes context. |
| 3.2.2 On Input | Supports | Changing a setting applies that setting only; nothing navigates away or submits. The Private mode switch states in its description what turning it on changes. |
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | Supports | Sign-in errors are shown as plain sentences next to the field (for example a wrong code). The extension shows its errors in text beside the control. |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | Supports | Every field has a visible label and, where useful, a one-line hint (the audit recorded help text on the Mac controls that carry it). |
| 4.1.1 Parsing | Supports | Chrome extension: valid HTML (axe-core parsing-related checks pass). Native apps: not applicable to compiled interfaces. |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Supports | Mac app: 148 interactive controls across eight sections; each app control exposes a role, a name, and a value where it has one (switches, pop-up menus, sliders, text fields, and buttons). The only unnamed items the audit found are macOS's own window and scrollbar buttons, which VoiceOver names itself. Windows app: standard controls expose UI Automation name, control type, and value. Chrome extension: axe-core button-name, link-name, and ARIA checks pass. |
Table 2: WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria, Level AA
| Criteria | Conformance level | Remarks and explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | Not Applicable | No live media. |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No prerecorded media. |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | Partially Supports | Mac app: body text, muted text, badges, and the readable teal used for statistics and text buttons were measured against their backgrounds at 4.5:1 or better in this release (two contrast fixes landed for this report). Windows app: dark text on light cards; hint text meets 4.5:1. Chrome extension 0.3.0: the main text and buttons pass, but the small gray hint, field-label, and footer text (#8C98A1 on white) measures 3.0:1, below 4.5:1. Fixed in the extension's next release (0.3.1) with a darker gray (#5F6B73, 5.3:1). |
| 1.4.4 Resize text | Supports | Mac app: the window lays out with system text size and works with macOS Zoom and Hover Text. Windows app: display scaling up to 200% reflows the window. Chrome extension: the popup reflows at 200% browser zoom. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | Supports | Text is real text everywhere except the logo wordmark. |
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | Not Applicable | Blurt is a single-window application and a single-page extension; there is no set of pages to find. |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | Supports | Section headers name their topic (Activation, Dictionary, AI Cleanup, Privacy, Per-App, Audio and Insertion, General). Labels describe the control's purpose. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | Supports | Mac app and Windows app: the system focus ring is shown on the focused control. Chrome extension: every focusable element draws a visible 2px outline (recorded in the tab-order pass). |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | Supports | The interface is in one language. Dictation language settings are labeled with the language name. |
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | Supports | The sidebar and section order never change. |
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | Supports | The same controls carry the same names throughout (for example the Private mode switch on the Privacy page and the on-device badge on Home). |
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | Supports | Sign-in messages say what to do next (check the address, request a new code). |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | Supports | Purchases happen on Stripe's hosted checkout, which shows the amount and asks for confirmation before charging, and a purchase can be refunded by email. No other action in Blurt has a legal, financial, or data-loss consequence: clearing the local transcript history removes only a convenience copy of text that was already typed into the user's own document. |
Table 3: WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria, Level AAA
Not evaluated. Level AAA is not required for United States federal procurement.
Chapter 3: Functional Performance Criteria
Applies to the product as a whole, on all three platforms.
| Criteria | Conformance level | Remarks and explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 302.1 Without Vision | Supports | Dictation works without sight: hold the key, speak, hear the stop cue, and the text is typed into the focused field, where the user's screen reader reads it. Settings are navigable with VoiceOver on Mac and a screen reader on Windows; every app control exposes a name, role, and value. The on-screen status capsule that shows words as they are recognized is a visual convenience and is not needed to operate the product. |
| 302.2 With Limited Vision | Supports | Works with system magnification (macOS Zoom, Windows Magnifier, browser zoom), large text, and display scaling. Contrast meets 4.5:1. |
| 302.3 Without Perception of Color | Supports | No information is conveyed by color alone. |
| 302.4 Without Hearing | Supports | The start and stop sounds have visual equivalents: the status capsule and the menu bar or tray state. No audio is required to operate Blurt. |
| 302.5 With Limited Hearing | Supports | Same as 302.4. Sound cues can be turned off. |
| 302.6 Without Speech | Does Not Support | Blurt's function is to type what the user says, so the dictation function itself requires speech. Everything else (settings, sign-in, purchase, support) works without speech. People who do not speak need an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tool, which Blurt is not; people with atypical speech are better served by a recognizer trained for it. |
| 302.7 With Limited Manipulation | Supports | Two modes: hold the talk key, or tap it twice for hands-free dictation that ends on silence or a second tap. The key can be rebound to any single key, and system Sticky Keys applies. No simultaneous keys, no drag, no fine pointer work is required. |
| 302.8 With Limited Reach and Strength | Supports | Operable from the keyboard alone with one key; no force or reach beyond the keyboard. |
| 302.9 With Limited Language, Cognitive, and Learning Abilities | Supports | Plain-language labels and hints, a two-minute guided first run, one way to dictate, and a small number of settings grouped by topic. Blurt is used as a writing accommodation for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. |
Chapter 4: Hardware
Not applicable. Blurt is software only and ships no hardware.
Chapter 5: Software
Applies to the Mac and Windows apps. 501.1 Scope is answered by the WCAG tables above.
| Criteria | Conformance level | Remarks and explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 502.2.1 User Control of Accessibility Features | Not Applicable | Blurt is not platform software. |
| 502.2.2 No Disruption of Accessibility Features | Supports | Blurt does not change any system accessibility setting. It requests the Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions on Mac only to insert text and listen for its one talk key; every other keystroke passes through unchanged. |
| 502.3.1 Object Information | Supports | Mac app: role, name, state, and description are exposed for every app control (audit of 310 elements). Windows app: standard WPF and WinForms controls expose UI Automation properties. |
| 502.3.2 Modification of Object Information | Supports | States that the user can change (switches, pop-up menus, sliders, text fields) can be changed through the platform accessibility API; the audit recorded the increment, decrement, and press actions each control offers. |
| 502.3.3 Row, Column, and Headers | Not Applicable | No data tables in the apps. The dictionary list is a simple list of entries. |
| 502.3.4 Values | Supports | Current values are exposed (for example the double-tap window slider reports 300 and the history stepper reports its count). |
| 502.3.5 Modification of Values | Supports | Values can be set through the accessibility API using the controls' increment, decrement, and set-value actions. |
| 502.3.6 Label Relationships | Supports | Labels are attached to their controls programmatically (SwiftUI accessibility labels; WPF content and automation names). |
| 502.3.7 Hierarchical Relationships | Supports | Group and section containment is exposed; the audit recorded element depth within each section. |
| 502.3.8 Text | Supports | Text content, attributes, and boundaries are exposed by the standard text controls. |
| 502.3.9 Modification of Text | Supports | Text fields accept input through assistive technology. |
| 502.3.10 List of Actions | Supports | Each control exposes its available actions (press, increment, decrement, show menu). |
| 502.3.11 Actions on Objects | Supports | Actions can be executed through the accessibility API. |
| 502.3.12 Focus Cursor | Supports | The focus indicator is the system one and is tracked by assistive technology. |
| 502.3.13 Modification of Focus Cursor | Supports | Focus can be moved programmatically between controls. |
| 502.3.14 Event Notification | Partially Supports | Control value and focus changes are reported through the platform API. The change to the listening state is shown in the status capsule and in the menu bar or tray, and signalled by the start and stop sounds, but it is not posted as a screen-reader announcement; a user relying only on a screen reader without sound cues gets no spoken notice that listening began or ended. Planned fix: post an accessibility announcement on start and stop. |
| 502.4 Platform Accessibility Features | Supports | Standard platform controls inherit macOS and Windows accessibility features (VoiceOver, Narrator, Zoom, Magnifier, high-contrast themes, Reduce Motion, display scaling). |
| 503.2 User Preferences | Partially Supports | Blurt follows the system's color scheme, increased contrast, and text and scaling settings and does not override them. It does not yet read the system Reduce Motion setting for the listening waveform (the capsule can be turned off instead); planned. |
| 503.3 Alternative User Interfaces | Not Applicable | Blurt does not provide an alternative user interface that functions as assistive technology. |
| 503.4.1 Caption Controls | Not Applicable | No media player. |
| 503.4.2 Audio Description Controls | Not Applicable | No media player. |
| 504.2 Content Creation or Editing | Not Applicable | Blurt is not an authoring tool. It types plain text into the user's own application, which keeps its own accessibility properties. |
| 504.2.1 Preservation of Information Provided for Accessibility in Format Conversion | Not Applicable | No format conversion. |
| 504.2.2 PDF Export | Not Applicable | No PDF export. |
| 504.3 Prompts | Not Applicable | Not an authoring tool. |
| 504.4 Templates | Not Applicable | Not an authoring tool. |
Chapter 6: Support Documentation and Services
Applies to justblurt.com help pages and to email support.
| Criteria | Conformance level | Remarks and explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 602.2 Accessibility and Compatibility Features | Supports | This report and justblurt.com/accessibility document the accessibility features and the known gap (302.6, 502.3.14) and how to operate Blurt by keyboard, by screen reader, and hands-free. |
| 602.3 Electronic Support Documentation | Supports | Support documentation is HTML on justblurt.com (setup, troubleshooting, this report), built with headings, real text, labeled links, and 4.5:1 contrast; the PDF downloads are tagged text, not images. |
| 602.4 Alternate Formats for Non-Electronic Support Documentation | Not Applicable | All documentation is electronic. |
| 603.2 Information on Accessibility and Compatibility Features | Supports | Email support (support@justblurt.com) answers questions about accessibility features and assistive-technology compatibility. |
| 603.3 Accommodation of Communication Needs | Supports | Support is by email, which works with any assistive technology; no phone call is ever required. |
Legal disclaimer
The information herein is provided in good faith based on analysis of the product at the time of the review and does not represent a legally binding claim. Please contact us to report any accessibility errors or conformance claim errors for re-evaluation and correction, if necessary.
Report a problem with Blurt's accessibility at support@justblurt.com and we will re-evaluate and correct it.