Accessibility Information
This accessibility statement was last updated 08/10/2021
We want everyone who visits Higher Education from Cambridge University Press to feel welcome and find the experience rewarding.
We are continually working to make Higher Education from Cambridge University Press as accessible and usable as possible. To help us make it a positive place for everyone, we've been using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 [opens in a new window]. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities, and user friendly for everyone.
The guidelines have three levels of accessibility (A, AA and AAA). The target for Higher Education from Cambridge University Press is level AA.
In early 2021, we commissioned The Digital Accessibility Centre to carry out technical compliance audit and we were awarded WCAG 2.1 accreditation at the completion of that audit. Please see below further information about the audit process and results.
Available functionality
You should be able to:
change colours, contrast levels and fonts by adjusting browser settings. Different browsers include these options under different menus – they can usually be found under Tools, Settings, Options, Content or Reading View depending on the browser. There are also browser extensions specifically dedicated to changing colours and contrast options, e.g. Change Colors [Opens in a new window] for Google Chrome and Color Changer [Opens in a new window] for Mozilla Firefox.
zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
use text to speech tools to read out website. Text to speech tools are built into some browsers (e.g. Microsoft Edge) and are available as a plug-in for many others. Your phone, tablet or laptop accessibility settings are also likely to provide text to speech functionality.
skip directly to main content and other important pages
If you have a disability then AbilityNet's My Computer My Way website [Opens in a new window] has advice on individual adjustments you can make to your device to make it easier to use.
eReader Content
Textbooks on the Higher Education from Cambridge University Press website are delivered within our website, desktop and mobile eReader application Cambridge Spiral. Currently the Cambridge Spiral application is being reviewed and updated to conform to WCAG 2.1 compliance and will be submitted for accreditation once this work is completed. This is expected by late 2021. Please keep your application up to date via the Goole Play Store, Apple App Store or by downloading updated version from our Cambridge Spiral information page as improvements are being added regularly as this work continues.
In the meantime the contents of the textbook can be accessed and read in Cambridge Spiral via text-to-speech functionality in your browser/device.
Copy and Printing
Within the eReader the user is allowed to copy/paste 15% of the text of a book. It is also allowed to print up to 15% of the book from within the eReader.
How accessible this website is
The majority of this website is fully accessible, and we run regular audits to identify any new problems. However, we know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible:
the Cambridge Spiral eReader may not announce some buttons correctly in screen readers
some elements within the Cambridge Spiral eReader may not be accessible via keyboard navigation
some elements within Cambridge Spiral eReader may have low contrast between UI elements
no audio descriptions are currently present for videos, but synchronised captions are present for some videos.
third party software such as the Usabilla user feedback tool may not be fully accessible. We notify third parties of accessibility issues when we are made aware of them via user feedback or audits
We are in the process of phasing out the Usabilla feedback tool and replacing it with a more accessible alternative. This will be done towards the end of 2021.
the Cambridge.org ‘global header’ may have menu items that behave different to the rest of Higher Education from Cambridge University Press website. This ‘global header’ is due to be replaced in late-2021.
We aim to be WCAG 2.1 AA compliant, however when accessibility issues are identified that are outside of AA compliance, e.g items categorised as AAA and Usability we record these and make every endeavour to resolve them as quickly as possible.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that any third party we work with provide accessible software we cannot guarantee full AA compliance. Please let us know if you experience any problems using the contact details provided
email us at accessibility@cambridge.org
call us on +44 (0) 1223 358331
What to do if you can’t access parts of this website
Higher Education from Cambridge University Press now publishes the majority of its new titles, and many older titles, in accessible ebook formats either for individual purchase or on platforms suitable for institutions. Where a work is unavailable for purchase in a suitable format, we welcome enquiries from both individuals and institutions to provide one. More information and the Accessibility Request Form can be found here [opens in a new window]. We aim to respond to any requests within 5-7 working days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
If you have difficulty using Higher Education from Cambridge University Press, please get in touch. We'd like to hear from you in any of the following ways:
email us at accessibility@cambridge.org
call us on +44 (0) 1223 358331
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 [Opens in a new window] AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed in the report attached below.
Browser and mobile device support
Higher Education from Cambridge University Press is optimised for modern browsers including Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome. You may experience unexpected behaviour in other browsers, although we use fully validated code which should work on any browser.
Higher Education from Cambridge University Press is responsive, it re-organises itself depending on the screen size and orientation of the device being used to view it. We test the experience on various devices including most popular IOS, Android and MS Windows devices.
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document which evaluates how accessible a particular product is according to the Section 508 Standards in the US. It is a self-disclosing document produced by the vendor which details each aspect of WCAG 2.1 requirements and how the product supports each criteria
VPAT document for Higher Education from Cambridge University Press 2021.pdf [Opens in a new window]How we test this website
This website undergoes regular testing against the above guidelines by development and quality assurance teams. Working with in house accessibility specialists, any actions derived from the testing are taken and prioritised into our future work.
We also conduct testing with users who have a variety of different types of disability to ensure the website is optimised for use with assistive technologies.
In addition, we work with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) who completed the audit process for the site against WCAG 2.1 in October 2021. As a result of the audit we achieved DAC Accessible AA accreditation [Opens in a new window]
Engagement with accessibility services
Cambridge University Press have engaged with various accessibility initiatives and audits:
RNIB Bookshare [Opens in a new window]collections (formerly Load2Learn) by donating digital files to the collection which ensures that accessible content reaches print disabled learners as fast as possible.
