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JupyterLab Accessibility Statement

docs/source/getting_started/accessibility.md

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JupyterLab Accessibility Statement

:::{note} This statement was last updated on the 22nd of July 2024. :::

Jupyter Notebook versus JupyterLab

For accessibility purposes, it is recommended to use Jupyter Notebook over JupyterLab.

A comparison of the two apps will help to explain this recommendation. Jupyter Notebook and JupyterLab are both web apps for authoring computational notebooks. But Jupyter Notebook has a document-centric user interface whereas JupyterLab provides multiple panels and tabs designed to work with several notebooks and extensions in the same interface. Jupyter Notebook is more like Google Docs, in which each document opens in a separate browser tab. JupyterLab is more like VS Code for the Web, in which the app provides its own, in-app tabs so that multiple documents can be opened without having to open more browser tabs. Because Jupyter Notebook has a simplified UI, it poses fewer accessibility challenges than JupyterLab (in particular, it's easier to zoom in). But because it shares the same codebase, it also benefits from all of the accessibility work done in JupyterLab. This is why Jupyter Notebook is recommended over JupyterLab.

Jupyter audits

This section includes audits from different stakeholders on Jupyter products.

Many of the issues identified in these audits can be tracked in issues with the tag:Accessibility label.

Accessibility Statement for JupyterLab

Edited from the W3C accessibility statement generator

This is an accessibility statement for JupyterLab from Jupyter accessibility contributors.

The current state of JupyterLab

Jupyter accessibility statements are living documents. This statement was first created for JupyterLab 3.4.4 on 16 May 2022 using the W3C Accessibility Statement Generator Tool with additions and edits from the Jupyter accessibility contributors community.

Conformance status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. JupyterLab is nonconforming with WCAG 2.0 Level AA (equivalent to Section 508 in the United States). Nonconforming means that the content does not meet the accessibility standard.

JupyterLab's accessibility does not exist in isolation. JupyterLab inherits much from the many projects it is built upon and its accessibility conformance may impact projects built off of JupyterLab or its components. The accessibility of this ecosystem is interlinked, so conformance may need to be resolved at different levels in order to impact JupyterLab positively.

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

JupyterLab is designed to be compatible with the following

Operating systems:

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android

Browsers (mobile and desktop):

  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Chromium browsers

JupyterLab is not compatible with

Operating systems:

Browsers (mobile and desktop):

  • Internet Explorer
  • Edge < 79

Assistive technology:

Technical specifications

Accessibility of JupyterLab relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

  • HTML
  • WAI-ARIA
  • CSS
  • JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Limitations and alternatives

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of JupyterLab, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known limitations, and potential solutions. Please contact us if you observe an issue not listed below.

Known limitations for JupyterLab:

  1. Documents: Documents written by the community may not include accessible content because we do not and cannot review every document that can be opened and edited in JupyterLab. To support accessible documents, we are drafting guidelines for accessible document content with an emphasis on Jupyter notebooks. Please report the issue to the author and open an issue on jupyter/accessibility describing the problem and the behavior you expect, so we may integrate it into our content guidelines.
  2. JupyterLab extensions: JupyterLab extensions written by the community may not be accessible because JupyterLab extensions can be written by anyone in the community and have no standard review process. We do not and can not review every JupyterLab extension. To support accessible extensions, we encourage extension authors to use existing, accessible JupyterLab components for their extensions. We also provide periodic opportunities for community education on accessibility. Please report the issue to the author and let them know the jupyter/accessibility community may be able to provide guidance.

Assessment approach

Jupyter accessibility contributors assessed the accessibility of JupyterLab by the following approaches:

Evaluation report

What the community is doing

Measures to support accessibility

Jupyter accessibility contributors take the following measures to ensure accessibility of JupyterLab:

  • Include accessibility as part of our mission statement.
  • Provide continual accessibility training for our community.
  • Assign clear accessibility goals and responsibilities.
  • Employ formal accessibility quality assurance methods.
  • Document changes, approaches, and improvements to the above methods and to JupyterLab itself.

Feedback and Formal complaints

We welcome your feedback and formal complaints on the accessibility status of JupyterLab. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on JupyterLab:

Please note there is no private way to contact us for JupyterLab accessibility issues.

Also please note that JupyterLab is an open-source project and that Jupyter accessibility contributors are a group defined on a voluntary basis. Like many other open-source projects, we cannot guarantee how long it may take to respond to and resolve an issue, though we do make an effort to do it as quickly as is possible with our resources.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.