Accessibility Overview: our standards and how we can help you
Lauren Trimble
Welcome to the world of accessibility!
If you're wondering what we mean by that, please take a look at the WebAim accessibilty overview. Our official stance is below, but in the meantime, here are the practical points.
How we can help you:
Re-tag PDFs for ease of reading: We have made every effort to ensure that our image-based PDF files are accessible and can be read with screen readers like JAWS. These files are tagged for the JSTOR website using an automated process. In the event that a PDF is not tagged to your specifications, we can perform manual tagging for you.
Send you accessible versions of articles that you can't read: We are also happy to re-format PDFs that are unreadable via screen reader. If this is a service you need, please contact JSTOR Support with your request directly or fill out our PDF request form. Please include the citations for the articles you need tagged.
Talk or write you through any aspect of the website that you find difficult: Call, text or write us if you need help.
Official Accessibility Policy
The website is accessible to users with disabilities, including keyboard-only users and those with visual and cognitive impairments. The website is responsive, meaning users can easily adjust font size and color/contrast settings on most devices. We have made every effort to ensure that our image-based PDF files are accessible and can be read with screen readers like JAWS. These files are tagged at a high level using an automated process. While this method is not exact, it dramatically increases the accessibility of the files as compared to an untagged version. We regularly use automated checks and conduct tests with users against Section 508 and WCAG standards to evaluate and measure the accessibility of the site.
Accessibility specific support:
In the event that the PDF tagging described above is not sufficient for your use, we can perform manual tagging for you. We are also happy to re-format PDFs that are unreadable via screen reader.
Please contact JSTOR support if you require PDF tagging, need content in an alternative format, find an accessibility issue with the website or need general assistance. You can do this via phone, chat or email. Please include citations for any requested articles. The turnaround time for requests will vary but we generally respond in 3 days or less.
- Limit of 3 articles per request
- Turn around time is 3 days per request
Compliance:
JSTOR uses reasonable efforts to ensure that the JSTOR website adheres to the following standards and guidelines.
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. This is measured by the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), which is a standardized form describing how a product meets each accessibility guideline of Section 508.
- W3C WAI WCAG 2.0 Level AA
Download our most recent compliance documentation:
Some JSTOR content is available in formats that require document readers or players. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that those products comply with accessibility guidelines. A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a standardized form that describes how a product meets each accessibility guideline. Below are links to the VPATs for these products:
Download Free Document Readers
Links are provided below to product websites where you may download free document readers.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf extension)
- Adobe Flash Player (.swf extension)
- Microsoft Windows Media Player (.wmv extension)
- Apple QuickTime Player (.mov extension)
Adobe, Adobe Reader, and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft and Windows Media are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.