Answer

The library follows the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 when developing and maintaining its website. Examples of accessibility techniques used on our website include:

• Use alt tags to provide access to the content of the images to people who use screen-readers
• Use headings and sub-headings to form an outline of each page
• Use HTML5 semantic elements to structure each page
• Ensure that website can still be used with just a keyboard
• Design website so that it is mobile-friendly and can be used on computers and devices with various screen sizes
• Post information in HTML format whenever possible (instead of PDFs and other document formats which are less accessible)
• Use fonts that are a minimum of 1em in size (the default browser font size which can be set by the user)
• Check colour contrast between foreground and background (including font colour) to make sure it is at least 4.5:1
• Provide visible indication of both keyboard and mouse focus to help users track their navigation of interactive page elements
• Only post videos that have captions and/or transcripts
• Work with our library platform vendor (Springshare) to report and resolve broader platform accessibility issues

The library tests its website using a combination of automatic accessibility checkers such as Wave by WebAIM, manual testing using screen-readers such as NVDA, and usability tests with members of the Seneca community who use assistive technology devices.

If you encounter a web accessibility issue with the library website, please contact us at librarytechhelp@senecapolytechnic.ca.

Answer

Yes, the library website has been tested by library staff and student volunteers using screen-readers such as NVDA, Jaws, and Apple’s VoiceOver. If you have been using a screen-reader and notice that something isn’t working as expected, please contact librarytechhelp@senecapolytechnic.ca.  

For more information about screen-readers and other assistive technology available to students, please contact Accessible Learning Services.

Answer

LEAP is a College Libraries Ontario (CLO) initiative that is supported by the Ontario Colleges Library Service (OCLS).

• LEAP is a self-audit tool that library staff at participating institutions use to evaluate the accessibility of library e-resources.
• Completed evaluations are entered into a repository of accessibility assessment reports.
• Library staff can review the reports as they make acquisition decisions, support library users, and advocate for e-resource publishers to continually improve their accessibility features.
• Seneca participates in LEAP by conducting accessibility assessments and adding them to the repository.