Accessibility Resources: Library Database Accessibility

Credo is designed to be useable with screen reader technology. Hyperlinks are provided for easier navigation. Credo also provides a font re-sizer at the top of each page.

EBSCO Databases have a read aloud feature for HTML articles.

• Conduct a search
• Find an article with an HTML Full-text option
• The listen box is provided just under the title of the article
• You may select an accent and reading speed

Gale Databases provide a Listen function for full-text articles. Search for your topic, select an article, and Click Listen on the top left of the screen.

1. Gale Opposing Viewpoints
2. Gale Science in Context
3. Gale U.S. History
4. Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)
5. Gale World History in Context.

Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat both have a read aloud feature that will allow pdfs that are ADA accessible to be read out loud for patrons.

Windows turning the read aloud feature on:

• open the pdf
• go to the View option at the top of the screen and select Read Out Loud and then scroll down to the last option listed called, Activate Read Out Loud
• click on the screen to begin reading

Macs turning the read aloud feature on:

• open the pdf
• go to the Edit option at the top of the screen and select Speech and then select the option, Start Speaking
• reader will start automatically

JSTORS Image-based PDF files are accessible and can be read with screen readers.

According to the vendor; ScienceDirect "tutorials are available in a text version and available to users without Javascript. There is a "white" link at the bottom of the tutorial page for the assistance devices for textual version of the tutorial. This link is not viewable by the eye, but the assistive technology devices can read (or detect) it and access the text file."

Their PDFs are designed to use with; Adobe Accessibility Site which converts PDF files into ASCII and HTML.

EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest, and several other major databases have accessible features. These articles and abstracts are generally available in PDF and/or HTML. Many HTML articles have built in listening capabilities or may be read by read-aloud software.; The accessibility of the PDF articles depends upon how the company scanned the articles.

EBSCO - HTML articles in this database have read aloud features, but many articles are not available in this format. Since 2004, EBSCO has been using Optical Character;Reader (OCR) to make PDF articles ADA compliant.

Gale - some full-text articles have listening function.

ProQuest - contains many compliant PDF articles but older articles labeled as "Scanned image PDF" are not accessible.

Credo Reference - hyperlinks allow screen reader users to jump to main content..This database allows you to click on small or large font at the top of the page

JSTOR - image based PDFs are accessible with screen readers. Where tagging is not sufficient, manual tagging can be requested for a limited number of articles.

Lexis Nexis Academic - frames are complex.

netLibrary - difficult to use with a screen reader.