Accessibility at ExploreLearning.com
Introduction
At ExploreLearning, we take accessibility very seriously and, to that end, we've made every reasonable effort to make the ExploreLearning.com site accessible to all users.
In determining the accessibility of our site, we've followed the guidelines put forth by the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WAI) in accordance with section 508 of the ADA.
All pages on the ExploreLearning site use valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional and CSS 2.0 code.
Specific details and explanations of the accessibility features of this site are presented below.
If you have any comments on accessibility, please contact us: Email ExploreLearning.
VPAT
ExploreLearning participates in the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template initiative.
The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template is to assist Federal contracting officials in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial Electronic and Information Technology products and services with features that support accessibility.
Access Keys
Access keys are keyboard shortcuts which allow a visitor to a navigate around a website without having to use a mouse or other pointing device.
Some older versions of common browsers may not support the use of access keys.
The key sequence differs for Windows PC and Mac machines. Generally, it works as follows:
-
Windows with Internet Explorer: press ALT plus the access key together, then press ENTER.
-
Windows with Netscape: press ALT plus the access key together. You do not need to press ENTER.
-
Mac: press CONTROL plus the access key together. You do not need to press ENTER.
At the time of writing (21 June 2004) there is no W3C recommended assignation of access keys; therefore, we have assigned access keys as indicated in the table below. (The table also provides the tab index number where applicable.)
| Key | Link /Meaning | Tab Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EL Home (logo) | 1 |
| 4 | browse | 4 |
| i | login | 5 |
| o | logout | 5 |
| h | my homepage | 6 |
| p | my profile | 7 |
| b | blog/buzz | 8 |
| 6 | help | 9 |
| 5 | learn more | 10 |
| 9 | contact us | n/a |
| 2 | skip navigation | 2 |
| 3 | page bottom | 3 |
| t | page top | n/a |
| 0 | accessibility info | n/a |
| Key | Link /Meaning |
|---|---|
| m | Add Gizmo to Class |
| l | Launch Gizmo |
| d | Gizmo Details |
| g | Exploration Guide |
| Key | Link /Meaning | Tab Index |
|---|---|---|
| r | pricing | n/a |
| e | activate a free trial | 12 |
| h | purchase a subscription | 11 |
| Key | Link /Meaning |
|---|---|
| 8 | privacy |
| 7 | terms and conditions |
Use of Scripting Languages
This site utilizes scripting languages, including JavaScript. We have used device-independent event handlers so that use of the mouse is not essential. We have also ensured that all content and functionality are available, even if scripting has been disabled in the browser.
Accessibility for ExploreLearning Gizmos
Following the guidelines of the W3C's WAI recommendations for multimedia and plugins, we try to keep high quality for ExploreLearning Gizmos in terms of accessibility.
At this time all of the Gizmos in our Catalog have full keyboard accessibility by implementing the user operating system. In addition, a large percentage of the Gizmos (over 85% as of December 2, 2005) include the following following: high contrast graphs, high contrast bar charts, and deliberate color choices in the visual display to insure clarity and to assist users who are color blind.
Please note, however, that some of the older, first-generation Gizmos in our Catalog (approximately 15%) have not been investigated for accessibility, although they are keyboard accessible. As these Gizmos are updated with more modern versions, the other facets of accessibility will be investigated. This work is ongoing.
On the current Macintosh Operating System you can enable the full keyboard accessibility by selecting the following:
and then choosing the Mouse Keys: On option (refer to the image below). In order to access the System Preferences you may need to have a technology coordinator with administrative access make the changes on the computer.
On the current Microsoft Windows Operating System you can enable the full keyboard accessibility by selecting the following:
and checking the Use MouseKeys box (refer to image below). In order to access the Control Panel you may need to have a technology coordinator with administrative access make the changes on the computer.
Additional information for accessibility built in to the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems you can visit these links:
