Given recent international developments our lives have quickly become even more digitally dependent than we ever though they could be, and the issue of accessibility to digital resources has never been more recognisable as we respond to the challenge of working and learning while being physically separated from our peers and shared study spaces.

Since its launch in 2016 Cambridge Core has undergone a program of continuous improvement to ensure the platform meets the needs of all users. One area the development team at Cambridge University Press has paid particular attention to is accessibility.

It is estimated that around 20% of internet users have some kind of disability that impacts their use of equipment like a mouse, keyboard, or monitor. With this in mind, the Cambridge Core team has spent the last few years exploring techniques and technologies that are designed to improve the levels of accessibility for all users of Cambridge Core, regardless of ability to use a mouse, keyboard, or monitor.

One important step is to clearly identify what users with a disability will experience when navigating a web-based content platform to discover, and read, the materials crucial to the successful completion of their studies. The Cambridge Core team have been refining the accessibility statement based on feedback from users and the advice of groups dedicated to the advance of digital technologies that benefit those with disabilities. In recognition of these efforts Cambridge Core was recently awarded a perfect 100% score for its accessibility statement by the ASPIRE project.

The ASPIRE project’s aim is to standardise accessibility statements so that readers know the benefits they can utilise or the barriers they may need to work around when accessing texts in a digital format. You can find out more about the project here.

You can also read more about the story behind this aspect of Cambridge Core’s development here.