CTM secures WCAG 2.2 AA accreditation for Lightning online booking tool and CTM Portal technology suite

CTM UK’s proprietary online booking tool, Lightning, and CTM Portal awarded WCAG 2.2 AA accreditation.

Lightning and CTM Portal now incorporate a wide range of functionality for European users with a disability or impairment.

After becoming the first TMC to secure WCAG 2.1 accreditation in 2020, Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has now secured WCAG 2.2 accreditation for its Lightning online booking tool and CTM Portal technology suite to AA standard.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA standard accreditation is given to websites designed to be accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. It is currently only a legal requirement for public sector organisations.

This means incorporating the following functionality into the technology:

• Allowing keyboard-only navigation
• Ensuring full compatibility with assistive readability technology tools such as JAWs, Dragon, Zoom and Text
• Using highly contrasting colors
• Providing alt text for meaningful images
• Using proper heading structures
• Including captions and transcripts for videos
• Designing accessible forms
• Maintaining responsive and flexible design
• Avoiding using color as the only means of conveying information
• Using descriptive URLs and link text
• Ensuring consistent navigation
• Allowing for content to be increased and decreased in size
• Avoiding auto-replaying media
• Using simple and clear language
• Including an accessibility statement
• Ensuring your website does not feature content that can induce seizures
• Making sure your online documents are accessible
• Regularly updating and maintaining accessibility features

CTM’s Chief Technology Officer EMEA, Brian Sheerin commented, “Government statistics show that 24 per cent of working age people in the UK have a disability – this is up from 19 per cent when we first achieved WCAG accreditation.

“These disabilities may be physical, sensory or cognitive and can impact how – or even if – people can interact with technology. Some will be business travellers, and we also know that younger people have higher expectations of technology and its functionality. That’s why it’s so important to us at CTM to design technology that supports all our customers’ travellers equally and achieving WCAG 2.2 AA accreditation is a welcome recognition for the work our technology teams are doing.”