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Digital Accessibility

What is a VPAT

Most of the digital content the library subscribes to comes to us through databases. This includes digital platforms that host ebooks, journal articles, reference material, audiovisual content, data sets, and more. Many of these database vendors provide accessibility statements or VPATs to describe how their product complies with Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

What is a VPAT?

  • "A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT™) is a document that explains how information and communication technology (ICT) products such as software, hardware, electronic content, and support documentation meet (conform to) the Revised 508 Standards for IT accessibility." Find more information at Section508.gov.

This page covers a selection of VPATs and accessibility statements from library database vendors, and tips for understanding these reports.

Understanding VPATs & Accessibility Statements

A VPAT (also known as an Accessibility Conformance Report) will specify:

  • If the report is evaluating against WCAG 2.0 or WCAG 2.1 guidelines;
  • Whether the product meets conformance levels A, AA, or AAA;
  • May include methodologies used to determine conformance and explanations from the vendor.

To understand the content listed in a VPAT, try the following:

Database Vendor VPATs Repository/Accessibility Statements

Vendor List/VPAT/Accessibility Statement
Academic Video Online (AVON)  updated 6.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement

ACM Digital Library

  Accessibility Statement
Adam Matthew Quartex updated 12.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Alexander Street Press  updated 6.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
American Chemical Society Journals (ACS)  updated 8.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
American Heart Association eBooks VPAT Accessibility Statement
AMS updated 9.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
APA updated 8.2022 VPAT Accessibility Statement
ArtStor/JSTOR  updated 12.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Britannica updated 2.2020 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Bloomsburg Publishing updated 9.2024   Accessibility Statement
Cambridge University Press updated 3.2022 VPAT Accessiblity Statement
Chronicle of Higher Education updated 2.2022 VPAT Accessibility Statement

CONTENTdm Admin  updated 3.2020

CONTENTdm UI  updated 5.2020

VPAT

VPAT

Accessibility Statement
CQ Researcher updated 9.2022 VPAT Accessiblity Statement
Digital Commons  updated 1.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Digital Theater Plus updated 2.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement

Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) updated 1.2022

VPAT Accessibility Statement
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) updated 7.2022   Accessibility Statement

Duke University Press updated 7.2019

VPAT Accessibility Statement

EBSCOhost  Classic UI  updated 10.2023

EBSCOhost  New UI  updated 9.2024

VPAT

VPAT

Accessibility Statement

EBSCO eBooks Classic UI  updated 3.2023

EBSCO eBooks New UI  updated 10.2024

VPAT

VPAT

Accessibility Statement

Elsevier

  Accessibility Statement
Emerald Publishing updated 10.2020   Accessibility Statement
ERIC   Accessibility Statement
Gale eBooks updated 6.2022 VPAT Accessibility Statement
HeinOnline updated 11.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
IBISWorld   Accessibility Statement
ILLiad   updated 6.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Indigenous Histories and Culture in North America VPAT Accessibility Statement
JSTOR  updated 12.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
JoVE  updated 4.2019 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Kanopy  updated 7.2022 VPAT Accessibility Statement
LexisNexis   updated 6.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
McGraw Hill VPAT Accessibility Statement
National Institutes of Health (NIH)   Accessibility Statement
Nature  updated 8.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Naxos Music Library updated 10. 2015 VPAT Accessibility Statement
New York Times updated 5.2021 VPAT Accessiblity Statement

Nexis Uni updated 4.2021

VPAT Accessibility Statement
Ovid  updated 7.2018 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Oxford Art Online updated 5.2021 VPAT Accessibility Statement

Oxford English Dictionary updated 10.2023

VPAT Accessibility Statement
Oxford University Press  updated 1.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement

Oxford Music Online updated 5.2021

VPAT Accessibility Statement
Oxford Reference updated 6.2021 VPAT Accessibility Statement

PhilPapers updated 12.2023

VPAT Accessiblity Statement
Project Muse updated 1.2023 VPAT Accessiblity Statement

ProQuest  updated 2.2024

VPAT Accessibility Statement
ProQuest eBook Central  updated 3.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
PubMed VPAT Accessibility Statement
Readex updated 9.2014 VPAT Accessiblity Statement
Red Book Online  updated 1.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Sage  updated 7.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Science updated 10.2016 VPAT Accessibility Statement
ScienceDirect  updated 11.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement

SciFinder Scholar updated 11.2021

VPAT Accessibility Statement
SciFree updated 9.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
SpringerLink   updated 8.2023 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Springshare updated 7.2021 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Swank   updated 12.2018 VPAT Accessibility Statement
Taylor & Francis updated 3.2024 VPAT Accessibility Statement
University of Chicago Press Journals updated 1.2016 VPAT Accessibility Statement
U.S. Census Bureau   Accessibility Statement
Web of Science (Clarivate)  updated 7.2020   Accessibility Statement
Wiley updated 4.2022 VPAT Accessibility Statement
WorldCat VPAT Accessibility Statement

 

SciFree

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