Accessible loan calculators: a free fix for credit unions
A free package that helps credit unions make sure members using screen readers hear their repayment figure when they change the loan amount or term.
A common issue with a big impact
When the Solution Centre assessed a broad sample of credit union websites as part of its accessibility programme, one recurring issue stood out. On many of the sites assessed, the loan calculator updated its repayment figure silently.
A member using a screen reader who adjusted the loan amount or term heard nothing: the answer changed on screen but was never announced.
For members who are blind or vision-impaired, this can turn one of the most-used tools on a credit union website into a dead end. It is not an isolated issue, and fixing it properly requires specialist knowledge.
The Solution
Rather than asking each credit union and website provider to solve the same problem separately, the Solution Centre has developed and documented a reusable solution for the sector.
Silence where the answer should be
What is in the package
Everything a credit union and its website provider need to check for the issue and fix it.
Download the package (ZIP, 311 KB)
Independently validated
CUDA’s approach and reference solution have been independently validated by accessibility specialists Vially.
That validation covers CUDA’s approach and reference solution only. It does not extend to any credit union’s own website or implementation.
One fix, not compliance
The calculator is one component on one page. A credit union’s accessibility obligation covers its full web presence: every page, user journey, form and document, as well as member communications.
Fixing the calculator is a meaningful and necessary step, but it does not make a website accessible and it is not a basis for a conformance claim.
What to do now
Download the package
Four Word documents and the working reference implementation in one ZIP file. Start with What To Do Now.
Version 1.0 | October 2026 | ZIP, 311 KB
Support for the wider work
Accessibility covers far more than a single calculator. Vially offers CUDA member credit unions a dedicated 12-month accessibility programme, covering website review, monitoring and practical support, on preferential terms until the end of 2026.
Request an introduction and Thomas Brunkard at the CUDA Solution Centre will put you in touch.
Request an introduction to Vially
Common questions
Who is the package for?
Credit unions and the website providers who build and maintain their sites. The technical brief is written to be forwarded to your provider as it is.
Does using the package make our website compliant?
No. The package addresses one issue on one component. It is not regulatory advice, legal opinion or a certification of any kind. Each credit union remains responsible for its own compliance and should take independent legal and accessibility advice appropriate to its circumstances.
What does Vially's validation cover?
CUDA’s approach and reference solution. It does not extend to any credit union’s own website or implementation, which needs its own independent review before any conformance statement is made.
Do we need a particular website platform?
No. The specification is platform-agnostic, and the reference implementation uses plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript with no dependencies.
The package is guidance from the Solution Centre’s own accessibility programme, provided free and as is. It is not regulatory advice, legal opinion or a certification of any kind. Each credit union remains responsible for its own compliance and should take independent legal and accessibility advice appropriate to its circumstances.