EBSCO Publishing has teamed with accessibility experts to make it easier to search EBSCOhost using screen readers and keyboard controls. The EBSCOhost Text-Only interface met the standards for 508 compliance, as outlined within the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards.

    Working with the EBSCO Accessibility Interest Group, led by the Illinois Center for Instructional Technology Accessibility at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, EBSCO was able to determine that Text-Only interfaces, the industry standard for Web accessibility which is referred to as 508 compliance in the United States, were no longer enough.

    The Text-Only interface still incorporated various elements that presented roadblocks to functional usability for impaired researchers using screen readers. By working with the EBSCO Accessibility Interest Group, changes have been made making the full features of EBSCOhost available to all users, including those with various physical and visual disabilities.

    "EBSCO stands out as a company that has rejected the minimalist accessible repair approach used by many companies that may allow Websites to pass automated accessibility tests; but are still unusable by many people with disabilities. EBSCO stands as a model of how collaboration on accessibility leads to benefits for everyone, especially people with disabilities," said Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., Director of IT Accessibility Services  and Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.

    "The difference between simply being 'compliant' and creating fruitful search experiences for impaired users is quite dramatic. For example, seeing how screen readers got caught up on tables helped us see that the coding was a barrier to searching," said Ron Burns, Director of Software Product Management at EBSCO.

    EBSCO has invested time and resources to exceed Web accessibility standards by improving page orientation and navigation of EBSCOhost. Visually and physically impaired users can utilize the features of EBSCOhost and all EBSCOhost users benefit from the modifications.

Improvements include:
    - Redesigned form controls for easier tab navigation
    - Elimination of most tables to improve searching with screen readers or keyboard controls
    - Detailed alternative text image descriptions
    - Streamlined code for simpler page structures
    - Descriptive page titles, section header tags and selected link labels
    - Decreased page size mean shorter download times for all users
    - Access keys which support international keyboard functionality across multiple browsers
    - Visually and physically impaired users can perform searches independently most of the time

    Improving navigability for screen readers and keyboard controls dramatically decreased the pages sizes which, in turn, improved the overall delivery speed of EBSCOhost for users with low bandwidth connections.Interestingly, the changes made for impaired users have provided significant benefits for all users .

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