I’m elated to hear from my EBSCO contact that the company has improved their usability features to exceed the requirements of 508 compliance, and these new improvements make the full features of EBSCOhost® available to all users, including those with physical and visual disabilities. Although their former text-only interface met the 508 compliance standards, EBSCO worked with an EBSCO Accessibility Interest Group, led by the Illinois Center for Instructional Technology Accessibility (iCITA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, to develop improved features for EBSCOhost® to make it easier to search using screen readers and keyboard controls.

The improvements include access keys supporting international keyboard functionality across multiple browsers; descriptive page titles, section header tags and link labels; decreased page size (which translates into shorter download time for everyone); detailed alternative text image descriptions; the elimination of almost all tables (to improve searching with screen readers and keyboard controls); redesigned form controls for easier tab navigation; and streamlined code for simpler page structures. What this means is that visually and physically impaired users will be able to perform searches independently most of the time, and all searchers will benefit from a number of these enhancements.

EBSCO’s Full 508 Accessibility page provides detailed information on this project, and anyone serving differently-abled users in libraries will probably want to take a good look at this page, as well as at the Section 508 page from the IT Accessibility & Workforce Division (ITAW), Office of Governmentwide Policy, U.S. General Services Administration. A big thumbs up to EBSCO for making these improvements.

More as it happens,

Cheryl