JSTOR Forum is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for persons with disabilities. We apply WCAG and Section 508 standards to improve the user experience for everyone.
The JSTOR Forum VPAT document (PDF) reports our level of conformance with both Section 508 and WCAG standards and guidelines. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. The target for JSTOR Forum is AA.
Measures to support accessibility
The website is accessible to users with disabilities, including persons using a keyboard and those with visual and cognitive impairments. It has been tested and verified that all interactive elements on Forum are accessible via keyboard. The website is responsive, meaning users can easily adjust font size, magnification, and color/contrast settings on most devices without the loss of functionality or information. 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. For users with visual impairments, Forum provides image descriptions when they are provided by the publisher.
Some JSTOR Forum 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. Below are links to the VPATs for these products:
Download free document readers
You may download free document readers on the following websites:
- 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.
Improve the accessibility of your content
Captions for audio and video
You can add multiple caption files for your audio and video content in Forum. These files can be selected and turned on or off by users in Forum and in Artstor. WCAG Guideline 1.2 - Time Based Media includes more information about providing captions. The W3C also has a short guide to creating transcripts and captions for your content.
Video flash rate
If uploading video to Forum, it may be useful to review WCAG Guideline 2.3 - Seizures and Physical Reactions to ensure your content is not flashing more than three times in any one-second period, or the flash is below the general flash and red-flash thresholds.
Alternative text and descriptive text for screen readers
Screen readers will read the title and creator fields as the alternative text for media published through Forum. You can provide a descriptive and synthesized text alternative to these fields to assist users who have difficulty perceiving visual content. WCAG Guideline 1.1 - Text Alternatives provides more information for non-text content. The W3C has also published a short guide to writing meaningful text alternatives.
Contact us
We welcome your feedback on Forum’s accessibility. If you encounter accessibility barriers or would like to request accessibility-related assistance, please email us at forumsupport@jstor.org or call us at 1-833-758-6851 or 212-500-2402.