All researchers, regardless of ability, need access to scholarly information. ProQuest is committed to providing all our users with a fully accessible experience for research, teaching and learning. 

At ProQuest, we make every effort to ensure that our platforms – including ProQuest History Vault – can be used by everyone. ProQuest History Vault is continually designed and developed to meet Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions.

Accessibility features and gaps

Users of ProQuest History Vault should be able to: There may be some parts of this website that are not fully accessible: If you have a disability and need to make your computer, tablet or other device easier to use, AbilityNet is a recommended resource. We also recommend browsing free add-ons offered for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Technical Information about this site’s accessibility

ProQuest History Vault is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with:

Compliance level and report 

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below. 

Access the full Accessibility Compliance Report (VPAT 2.4 and WCAG) for ProQuest History Vault.

Accessibility of this platform

Keyboard-only navigation and visible focus

Most of the website can be navigated with a keyboard alone, but there is an exception to this is on the search results page where the “Sort by” dropdown menu is inaccessible via keyboard.  

Throughout ProQuest History Vault, visible focus is given to a selected element by changes in the color, text styles and other visual changes.  One exception to this is the search field menus on the Advanced Search page when navigating with a keyboard there is no visible focus.

Missing labels and alternative text

Throughout ProQuest History Vault, form elements and buttons are given accessible labels, so you can use assistive technologies to determine the purpose of various controls. The majority of elements have labels, but there are a small number of missing labels. In these cases, there are usually adjacent text labels that describe the purpose of the control. Exceptions to this are:

In the above cases, while accessible labels are missing, there is descriptive text that appears before these controls that can help you understand their purpose.

All images that are purely decorative are either coded as background images or have null alternative text, so they do not interrupt the page when using a screen reader.  However, we cannot guarantee that all images in the data have been given alternative text.  Some full text documents are only in PDF image format making them unreadable to screen readers.

Color contrast

While most text throughout ProQuest History Vault meets minimum color contrast standards, there are cases where text does not have enough contrast with the background color: If color contrast is a concern for you, we recommend utilizing one of the free browser plugins that can increase text/background color contrast, such as the High Contrast extension for Google Chrome.

Structure- links, titles and headings

Identification attribute values are unique on most active focusable elements.  This allows assistive technologies to interpret and parse the content on the website. Exceptions to this in ProQuest History Vault are: Users can skip to the main content using a skip link, but the skip link is not visually displayed and only obvious to screen readers.

Pages in ProQuest History Vault are titled but are given generic titles that can make them difficult to distinguish if not looking at the menu navigation. 

Headings are used throughout the website for visual consistency and information hierarchy although some headings are missing and heading levels are skipped in some cases.

Accessibility Testing

The accessibility of ProQuest History Vault is a continual effort at ProQuest. Accessibility standards are built into our design, and style guides and included as part of requirements in our software development and quality assurance pipeline.

ProQuest History Vault code is checked for accessibility using a range of automated and manual checks including but not limited to:  ProQuest History Vault is tested on the latest version Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Edge, and on devices including Mac and Windows computers, and Android and iOS devices.

What We’re Doing to Improve Accessibility

Making content accessible is an ongoing effort at ProQuest. We’re committed to working with the community to ensure we continue to meet our customers’ needs. A list of our ongoing efforts include:

Support and feedback

If you have difficulty accessing specific ProQuest content or features with adaptive technology after trying the workarounds suggested in this statement, you can contact us using the links provided below. Our support services will respond within three days and are available to accommodate the communication needs of end users with disabilities. We will work with you to identify the best option for remediation, subject to content licensing restrictions and technical capability. 

Online: ProQuest Technical Support

Phone:
United States & Canada (toll free):
+1 800 889 3358

Outside North America:
+800 4997 4111 or +1 734-707-2513

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This accessibility statement was prepared on September 11, 2020.  It was last reviewed on September 11, 2020.
The website was last tested on September 10, 2020. The test was carried out internally at ProQuest.