Checklist: Evaluating the Accessibility of E-Resources

Creator: Accessible Libraries

Date Updated: January 31, 2023

Overview

Use this checklist when procuring e-resource platforms (websites, apps, or reading platforms) to help you determine if the platforms are accessible. Investing in accessible e-resources at the procurement stage will ensure that they are easier to maintain and upgrade and are more likely to be compatible with assistive technologies.

The checklist is based on the Accessibility Considerations for E-resource Procurement in Public Libraries and follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Checklist

Use this checklist to test and evaluate e-resource platforms (websites, apps, or reading platforms) procured through vendors.

There are accessibility controls available.
The text is readable using assistive technologies.
Test that users can navigate accessibility through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform).
There are visual customization options.
If there are non-colour alternatives for information conveyed only through colour.
That there are no videos or animations with blinking or flashing elements.
Any plugins, add-ons, and accessibility software will work with the digital content, reading systems, websites, and/or app that you are procuring.
Images in the e-resource platforms need to have descriptive alternative text.
There are multiple options for accessing multimedia (e.g., videos with audio descriptions, podcast transcripts, etc.
There are no items with a time limit in a platform that cannot be adjusted.
The product does not prescribe how users use it.
The e-resources (reading platform, website, or app) have navigational skip links.
Users can determine where they are in the digital content or interface.

There is also a simple downloadable version of the checklist:

Procurement Checklist: E-Resources Download

There are accessibility controls available.

Navigate through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform) using only a keyboard or swipe gestures.
Determine if the swipe gesture/keyboard focus moves to all elements of the screen in the proper order (matching the visual order of items on the screen).
Ensure that all clickable elements can be activated with a keyboard or other assistive technologies.

The text is readable using assistive technologies.

Ensure that screen readers can navigate through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform).
Ensure hardware and software screen magnification tools can read and navigate through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform).
Determine if the graphs, math equations, tables, etc., can be read with assistive technologies.

Test that users can navigate accessibility through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform).

Navigate through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform) using a screen reader. Ensure that the screen reader announces the controls, so they are clear to the user and when elements (like checkboxes) are selected or checked.
Navigate through the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform) with and without using software/hardware magnification tools. Ensure that you can visually identify the navigation elements.

There are visual customization options.

Test to determine if visual adjustments are available in the e-resource (website, app, or reading platform). Consider:
- Colour schemes and contrast
- Font (type, size, attributes, colour, etc.)

If there are non-colour alternatives for information conveyed only through colour.

Ensure no information is conveyed using only colour.

There are no videos or animations with blinking or flashing elements.

Determine if there are any animations or videos with blinking or large flashes that occur more than three times per second. If there are, they need to be removed.

Any plugins, add-ons, and accessibility software will work with the e-resource (reading platforms, websites, and/or apps) that you are procuring.

The product shouldn’t override users’ visual adjustments with their software/hardware magnification tools.
Determine if you can use the software or webpage while running assistive technologies.
Ensure that the website/app does not use an accessibility overlay.

Images need to have descriptive alternative text.

Ensure that any images used in the e-resource platform (website, app, and reading platform) are described. This includes items like logos, icons, book covers, etc.

There are multiple options for accessing multimedia.

Determine if there are audio descriptions, captions, and transcripts for any audiovisual materials.

There are no items with a time limit that cannot be adjusted.

Ensure that for any items with time limits, there is a way to disable them or extend the time limit.

The product should not prescribe how users use it.

Determine if you can paste information into form fields (like passwords).
Determine if you can access the same content or feature in multiple ways.

The e-resource (reading platform, website, or app) has navigational skip links.

Determine if there are navigation skip links. Press the tab key so you can see the skip link at the top of the website or app, and click on them using the keyboard to determine if they work.

Users can determine where they are in the digital content or interface.

Determine if you can easily navigate the reading system, website, and/or app and tell where you are on the screen (test using assistive technologies).
Test using screen magnification software and determine if visual cues alert you to more controls on the far-right side of the screen.

References

Accessible Libraries & National Network for Equitable Library Service (January 31, 2023). Accessibility Considerations for E-resource Procurement in Public Libraries. Accessible Libraries. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://accessiblelibraries.ca/resources/procurement-in-libraries/

Web Accessibility Initiative. (2022, November 1). WCAG 2 Overview. Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/