Services

Reading experience 

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  for Google Chrome and Color Changer  for Mozilla Firefox 
• Zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen for most of the website. The website should work well in both portrait and landscape modes 
• View all content with sufficient colour contrast (the minimum ratio we aim for is 4.5:1) 
• Navigate all of the website using just a keyboard. All page elements have a visible focus state indicator 
• Navigate the page in logical reading order with the ability to skip to headings, regions and hyperlinks. There are also multiple ways to navigate the entire site including navigation menus and crumb trails 
• Listen to all of the website using a screen reader (e.g. the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver), including image descriptions for images that convey meaning, form elements and links with a descriptive label 
• Understand the meaning of images and icons described by meaningful alternative text which explains its purpose within the context of the content. Some content may not have text alternatives available for figures and other graphics. If you encounter an image that does not have a text alternative, and you need one, you can request alternative text for specific images by contacting us via the details below. Images that are decorative or incidental are given a ‘null’ alt attribute so they are properly ignored by screen readers 
• Understand the function of all form elements. All form fields have descriptive labels which explain their meaning and any that are mandatory to complete the form. If a particular form field has additional instruction then this is clearly provided and available to users of assistive technologies. In addition, buttons on forms have a descriptive value which explain their function before a form is submitted 
• Easily identify and understand links. Links are styled differently to standard text used on the site: they are underlined and represented in a different colour to the surrounding text. Links have also been created in a way that allows them to be meaningful to all users even when taken out of context 

• Use text to speech tools to read out website content in both PDF and HTML format (e.g. ClaroRead for Chrome browser). 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 
• Turn on captions for pre-recorded media content. 

If you have a disability then AbilityNet's My Computer My Way website  has advice on individual adjustments you can make to your device to make it easier to use. 

Available formats 

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 2024. Please keep your application up to date via the Google 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. 

Copying and Printing 

Within the eReader the user is allowed to copy/paste 20% of the text of a book.  It is also allowed to print up to 20% 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 date picker may not be fully accessible for screen reader users navigating out of the context of the page using NVDA screen reading software and on some mobile devices. The input fields use the input type (date) which has limited support for voice activation users using Dragon software. These issues will be addressed in 2025. 
• The 3rd party feedback tool may not be accessible to users of some assistive technologies. This issue is expected to be fixed by the third party supplier in 2025. 
• The Cambridge Spiral eReader is in the process of being updated to WCAG 2.1 AA standard.  These fixes are being released incrementally.  This is expected to be finished towards the beginning of Q4 2024.  Please be aware some elements of Cambridge Spiral eReader may not be optimised for all assistive technology. 

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. 

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 . 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 compliant wherever possible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1  AA standard (and in most cases AAA standards). The partial compliance is due to the non-compliances listed in the report attached below. 

Browser and mobile device support 

This site is optimised for modern browsers including Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Google Chrome. You may experience unexpected behaviour in other browsers, although we use fully validated code which should work on any browser. However please note that we no longer support Internet Explorer 11. This site 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 phones and tablets. 

Screen reader compatibility 

This platform has been optimised for the following screen reader and browser combinations: Desktop screen readers 

• VoiceOver with Safari (macOS) 
• NVDA with Firefox 
• JAWS with Chrome 
• Narrator with Edge 

Mobile screen readers 

• VoiceOver with Safari (iOS) 
• TalkBack with Chrome (Android) 

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 2024.pdf 

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 May2024. As a result of the audit we achieved DAC Accessible AA Accreditation 

Engagement with accessibility services  

Cambridge University Press have engaged with various accessibility initiatives and audits including RNIB Bookshare  collections (formerly Load2Learn) by donating digital files to the collection which ensures that accessible content reaches print disabled learners as fast as possible.