Ensuring a Successful Experience
For All
At RedShelf, our Vision is "a world where knowledge is within everyone's reach." That means that our digital content must be natively accessible to every learner—including those with disabilities and other accessibility needs. From the way we train our staff and design our software, to the ways we support and drive industry-wide progress, accessibility is at the very heart of everything we do.
Our Commitment to Accessibility
We integrate accessibility into every team, process, and product in the following ways:
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Our dedicated, in-house Accessibility Team trains all new hires on the importance of our company-wide philosophy.
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We evaluate accessibility and usability at every stage throughout the software development lifecycle.
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We encourage our publishing partners to create content in EPUB format, and provide feedback on content that does not meet our standards for accessibility.
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We go beyond industry ICT standards (WCAG 2.1, Section 508 & 504 Compliance) and are transparent in reporting our VPAT results as well as our status on planned accessibility initiatives.
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We support and contribute to industry standards for accessibility in development, design, and compliance, as well as involve people with disabilities in our research, testing and beta releases.
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Our Accessibility Policy statement is readily available on all RedShelf digital products, along with contact information for our Accessibility Team.
To request an alternate version of a publication, or to schedule a time to meet with our Accessibility Team, please email us at accessibility@redshelf.com.
We continually expand our accessibility knowledge and impact through direct involvement with global accessibility organizations.
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Inclusive Publishing Partner of the DAISY Consortium which strives to make e-books accessible for everyone by contributing to the development of open accessible standards and by supporting inclusive publishing efforts around the world.
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eReader non-visual reading score of 100% on the epubtest.org EPUB 3 Support Grid Test Suite. The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) designed the Grid Test Suite, and it is maintained through a partnership between the IDPF, DAISY Consortium, and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG)
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Member of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) which strives to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient book industry. Our Accessibility Team serves on both the Metadata and Workflow Committees.
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Community of Practice member of the Accessibility Switchboard which connects industry and consumers to accessible technology solutions and to the benefits of organization-wide approaches to accessibility. The Accessibility Switchboard is a project of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
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Member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).
In an exclusive interview, Erin Lucas discusses why "accessibility is a requirement and not just a feature or add-on." Erin has spent 20+ years of her career creating and managing technology and accessibility compliance programs. Read the Article.
As schools move to digital course materials at an accelerated pace, decision-makers must ensure that those materials are inherently accessible to every student, even to those who never disclose an existing disability. Enter Accessibility Metadata—the unsung superhero of today's digital content. Watch the Webinar.
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
In July 2020, RedShelf signed a three-year partnership agreement with Level Access, an accessibility consulting firm, to provide third-party auditing and testing support for our product suite. While our engineering and product teams take an accessibility-first approach when developing all of our digital products, having third-party testers with disabilities validating the user experience is essential for our products to be beneficial for all users.
The first product to undergo review is the cornerstone of our student experience—the RedShelf eReader. The results of this audit are outlined in the new. Please access the link below for our most recent VPAT document. If you have any questions please email us at accessibility@redshelf.com.
- V6 RedShelf eReader VPAT 2.4 / WCAG 2.1 & Section 508 (PDF will open in a new window)
- V7 RedShelf eReader VPAT 2.4 / WCAG 2.1 & Section 508 (PDF will open in a new window)
Accessibility Support
RedShelf is proud of the mutually beneficial relationships that we share with institutions and publishers. We collaborate closely with our partners to provide the most optimized materials possible. The publishing industry has embraced born accessible EPUB 3, and in keeping with the DAISY Consortium’s white paper, Producing Better Documents for Everyone, we produce our internal employee documentation in EPUB format, as well.
Upon request, RedShelf will work with campus accessibility offices to provide alternate solutions for students. In cases where individual help is necessary, RedShelf utilizes a dedicated, onsite team to give students and faculty one-on-one support. To request an alternate version of a publication, or to schedule a time to meet with our Accessibility Team, please email us at accessibility@redshelf.com.
RedShelf also offers a variety of documentation to ensure all users have a clear understanding of how best to utilize our products, and how to get support for accessibility needs via RedShelf Solve.