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Library Resources and Accessibility

Database Accessibilty

Accessible EBSCO product features

 

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Text-to-Speech

Text-to-speech functionality on HTML full-text articles

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Transcripts

Transcripts for videos and audiobooks

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Alternate Text

Descriptive page titles and alternate text for meaningful images

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ARIA Landmarks

ARIA landmarks to assist users with screen readers

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Keyboard Access

Keyboard-only navigation

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EPUB & DRM-free eBooks

 DRM-free titles have no digital rights management (DRM) software. DRM-free titles have no user access, download size, download length, saving, printing, or copying limitations. 

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

EBSCOhost, EBSCO Discovery Service is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:

  • Chrome with JAWS on Windows
  • Firefox with NVDA on Windows
  • Safari with VoiceOver on MacOS
  • Safari with VoiceOver on iOS
  • Chrome with Talkback on Android

EBSCOhost, EBSCO Discovery Service may not be fully compatible with:

  • Browsers older than 2 major versions.
  • Mobile operating systems older than 2 major versions.

Technical specifications

Accessibility of EBSCOhost, EBSCO Discovery Service relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browsers 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.

Additional accessibility features

  • Text-to-speech feature on HTML full-text articles, including MP3 download for multi-modal learning and portability
  • Headings and landmarks for screen reader navigation
  • Descriptive text for images and non-text elements
  • Accessible full-text formats such as HTML, EPUB, and articles free of Digital Rights Management (DRM-free)
  • Transcripts for videos
  • Responsive user interfaces for accessing different-sized devices

GALE Platform Accessibility Policy

Accessibility Features 

Gale’s platforms are designed to support users with visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive impairments, and any users accessing via keyboard-only inputs or assistive technologies. We employ ARIA (Accessibility for Rich Internet Applications) to enhance navigation, orientation, and labeling for users of screen readers and other assistive technology. Our platforms do not convey information or meaning using color only: whenever color is used to convey information, it is paired with an alternative method of conveyance. Color contrast for platform elements is always 4.5:1 or greater: however, documents may include images of tables, charts, and graphs that do not meet minimum contrast standards. In the majority of cases, users can:  

  • Read articles in HTML text which supports re-sizing and reflowability. All documents in OneFile, In Context and Gale eBooks are available as HTML, as are most documents in Gale Literature and Gale Business Insights. These files are all free of DRM (Digital Rights Management).

  • Change font, font sizes, font spacing, and color contrast, either via browser controls or via a dedicated toolbar which is available at the top of every HTML article. This feature applies changes to the article text only, and the chosen font size persists throughout the user’s session.  

  • Use the ‘Adjust Image’ feature in Gale Primary Sources to change the contrast or invert colors of document images 

  • Zoom in up to 200% using the browser zoom function without requiring horizontal scrolling 

  • Read OCR (Optical Character Recognition) text for the majority of Gale Primary Sources archives 

  • Use a keyboard to navigate the site without encountering keyboard traps 

  • Use a screen reader to access text, either via a third-party application or using the built-in Readspeaker functionality which is accessible in the article toolbar for all HTML articles (see the Readspeaker Support Page for further details and guidance). Users can also use built-in browser functionality (e.g. the Edge browser’s text-to-speech features) or browser plugins for Chrome or Firefox (note: users are responsible for checking the suitability and safety of any plugin before installing).

  • Skip to the main content to avoid repetitive links 

  • Read page titles that are consistent and descriptive, allowing users to immediately grasp what the contents of the page are  

  • Easily navigate the site using consistently tagged structural elements such as headings and ARIA regions to ensure correct reading order, and correctly named links 

  • Use predictive search (search assist) to see recommended search terms  

  • Use forms that have correct field labels and easily understandable error messages 

  • Download PDFs where available, with no Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions on copying or printing functionality. Users who require full book files can contact Accessibility.Gale@cengage.com and any PDFs provided will also be DRM-free.

  • Access transcripts and closed captions of video and audio content. 

  • Access alt text for images: where provided by the publishers, this is fully supported by the Gale platform.

Reading Experience

For an optimal online reading experience, we recommend using Gale’s HTML text article display, as this supports all of the Accessibility Features described above, such as re-sizing, reflow, and text-to-speech access, either via browser controls or via the toolbar at the top of every HTML article.  Options include:

  • Change to alternate fonts including Open Dyslexic
  • Adjust font size and letter, word, and line spacing
  • Select from four different color contrast options.

Additionally, the HTML includes Text-to-speech using Readspeaker (https://support.gale.com/doc/readspeaker) and the ability to translate into 49 languages.

For offline reading of articles and book chapters, we provide accessible PDF downloads. EPUB files are not available.