Bryan Chen
CV

Last reviewed 10 October 2026

Accessibility

I want this site to work for everyone, including people who browse with a keyboard, a screen reader, magnification, or reduced motion. This page says what I have actually done, and what I know is still imperfect.

Target standard

I am aiming for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA. The site has not been independently audited, so I describe it as partially conformant: most of the standard is met, and the known gaps are listed below.

What the site does

  • Every page works from the keyboard alone, and whatever has focus always shows a visible outline.
  • A “Skip to content” link is the first thing a keyboard or screen-reader user reaches.
  • Text and background colours were checked against WCAG AA in both the light and the dark theme. All text meets the 4.5 to 1 minimum, and on the main pages the lowest ratio is 5.2 to 1.
  • The site follows your system's light or dark setting, and a switch in the header lets you pick the other one.
  • Headings run in order without skipping levels, and page regions use real landmarks (header, navigation, main, footer).
  • Icons and drawings are decorative and hidden from screen readers. The photograph and the animated figures have text descriptions.
  • Links that open a new tab say so to screen-reader users.
  • Anything that moves on its own has a pause button, except the start screen of the Neural Overclock game. If your system is set to reduce motion, nothing moves until you ask it to: the simulation on the home page shows a still frame, the video waits for you to press play, and the game's start screen stays still. While you play the game, reduced motion also turns off screen shake and softens flashes.
  • The layout reflows without horizontal scrolling down to a 320 pixel wide screen, and survives zooming to 200 percent.

Known limitations

  • My CV is a PDF. PDFs are often awkward with screen readers, and I have not had this one professionally remediated. If you would like the same information as plain text or in another format, email me and I will send it.
  • The live simulations on the home page and in the NTA Notebook entry are drawn on a canvas. Their axis labels and moving points are not available to screen readers; each figure's description and caption summarise what it shows.
  • Two Notebook pieces are also drawn on a canvas: the Neural Overclock game and the Light Into Spike animation player. Each has a text description and a written explanation on its page, but what happens on screen is not available to screen readers, and the game needs quick reactions. Both pieces are dark only.
  • The charts in Lumen are drawn as pictures. A screen reader hears a short description of each one, and the key results are written out beside them, but the plotted curves themselves and the readout that follows the pointer have no text or keyboard version.
  • The Neural Overclock start screen animates and has no pause control. It stays still if your system is set to reduce motion.
  • On a narrow screen, or zoomed in far, the slides in the Biointerface Brief, the Growth Curve Analyzer's plot and tables, and Lumen's protein table scroll sideways. Each of these boxes can take keyboard focus, so the arrow keys scroll it.
  • No independent accessibility audit or testing with assistive-technology users has been carried out.
  • Sites I link to, such as LinkedIn, the iGEM wikis and journal publishers, are outside my control and have their own accessibility practices.

Tell me if something does not work

If any part of this site is hard or impossible for you to use, please email me and describe what happened and what you were using. I read these and I will reply. If something is blocking you, I will send you the information you needed in a format that works, rather than making you wait for a fix.