As part of the UW Libraries’ commitment to equitable service and access, we evaluate all third-party subscription electronic resources for accessibility before procurement or renewal.
This work has several parts:
- We perform a keyboard navigation test as an initial screen.
- We review and score the vendor’s Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), also known as a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
- We negotiate contracts to include language that addresses accessibility or attach the UW Digital Accessibility Rider.
- We check for relevant testing performed by the Library Accessibility Alliance.
Products that do not pass the keyboard navigation test or have a poor VPAT/ACR score undergo more thorough evaluation and are subject to non-renewal.
Our work closely follows UW Accessible Technology Procurement guidance.
Project Guidelines
Keyboard navigation testing is used as an initial screening tool. If a resource passes the keyboard test, further testing will need to be done to determine if a resource is fully accessible to WCAG 2.1 AA standards. However, we know that if a resource cannot pass the keyboard test, it is likely to be unusable by assistive technology like screen readers.
The data presented below shows the Keyboard Test Score, the VPAT score, and the total Accessibility Risk Score. Scores are reviewed annually.
- Keyboard Test Score: Score can range from 0 to 3, where 0 means it passes the keyboard test and 3 means it is probably unusable by assistive technology
- Perform Search: Can I perform a search using keyboard navigation?
- Retrieve Result: Can I select a specific search result using keyboard navigation?
- Use Result: Can I interact with the selected search result (scroll, turn pages, etc) using keyboard navigation?
- VPAT Score: A rubric is used to rate a VPAT from 0 – 7. See the “description” tab for more details. More VPAT scores will be associated with the keyboard test scores over time.
- Accessibility Risk Score: The sum of the Keyboard Test Score and the VPAT Score. The results range from 0-10 and can be interpreted as the probability that a resource will be inaccessible.
- Additional VPAT scoring is available on the “pilot” tab. This data is not currently being incorporated into this project but remains available for review.