Accessibility

What we have done, what we know is imperfect, and how to tell us when something does not work.

Last updated 9 August 2026

01Why this page exists

Since 28 June 2025 the European Accessibility Act has applied to consumer e-commerce across the EU. It requires that a shop can be used by people with disabilities, and that the seller says publicly where it stands. This is that statement.

Microenterprises — fewer than ten staff and under €2 million turnover — are exempt from the Act's service obligations. Echelons is one person, so the obligation does not formally bite. We have built to it anyway, because a shop nobody can use is a bad shop regardless of who is exempt.

02What we have done

Every image carries alternative text describing what it shows
Every field in the order form has a visible, associated label
The whole order can be completed by keyboard alone. The checkout traps focus while open, returns it to where you were on closing, and closes on Esc
Errors are announced to screen readers, name the field that needs fixing, and move focus to it
Text contrast has been measured rather than eyeballed
The revolving book respects prefers-reduced-motion and stops entirely for anyone who has asked their system for less animation
Nothing depends on colour alone; every state is also carried in words
Images have declared dimensions, so the page does not jump under you as it loads
The site works at 360px wide and at 200% zoom

03Where we fall short

We would rather tell you than let you discover it:

The book's ten chapter titles stay in English in every language, because they are the headings printed inside the book. Translating them would misdescribe the product.
The revolving book can be dragged with a mouse or finger but not turned with a keyboard. Nothing is lost by ignoring it — it is decorative, and every fact about the book is in the text.
The order history page is for the seller and has not been tested with assistive technology.
The links in the footer sit in a line of running text and are about 15 pixels tall. Links inside a sentence are exempt from the minimum target size rule, but on a small screen they are still fiddly. The same destinations are reachable from the main navigation and from the body text.
We have tested with automated checks and by keyboard, but not with every screen reader in use.

04Tell us

If something on this site stops you buying the book, email kirsten.vansteenberge1@gmail.com and say what happened. We will answer within two working days and, if we cannot fix it quickly, we will take your order by email instead. Nobody should miss out on the book because of a page we built badly.

See also our terms of sale and privacy policy.

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