Last updated: 2nd April 2025.

This accessibility statement applies to the www.cambridge.org/highereducation/ website. This website is run by Cambridge University Press & Assessment .

We want everyone who visits the Cambridge Aspire website to feel welcome and find the experience rewarding.

We are committed to ensuring we do not discriminate against users with disabilities in relation to access to information, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 (UK), European Accessibility Act (EU) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (US) amongst others.

We are continually working to make the Cambridge Aspire website and content as accessible and usable as possible. To help us make it a positive place for everyone, this website undergoes regular testing against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

Throughout the design and development workflows we ensure we consider users with accessibility needs. We also routinely audit and make fixes for accessibility issues that we may have missed, using internal and external auditors.

Available functionality

You should be able to:

Change colours, contrast levels and fonts by adjusting browser settings. Different browsers include these options under different menus – they can usually be found under Tools, Settings, Options, Content or Reading View depending on the browser. There are also browser extensions specifically dedicated to changing colours and contrast options, e.g. Change Colors for Google Chrome and Color Changer for Mozilla Firefox.
Zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen for most of the website.
View all content with sufficient colour contrast (the minimum ratio we aim for is 4.5:1)
Navigate most of the website using just keyboard. All page elements have a visible focus state indicator.
Navigate the page in logical reading order with the ability to skip to headings, regions and hyperlinks. There are also multiple ways to navigate the entire site including navigation menus and crumb trails.
Understand the meaning of images and icons described by meaningful alternative text which explains its purpose within the context of the content. Some content may not have text alternatives available for figures and other graphics. If you encounter an image that does not have a text alternative, and you need one, you can request alternative text for specific images by contacting us via the details below. Images that are decorative or incidental are given a ‘null’ alt attribute, so they are properly ignored by screen readers.
Understand the function of all form elements. All form fields have descriptive labels which explain their meaning and any that are mandatory to complete the form. In addition, buttons on forms have a descriptive value which explain their function before a form is submitted.
Easily identify and understand links. Links are styled differently to standard text used on the site: they are underlined and represented in a different colour to the surrounding text. Links have also been created in a way that allows them to be meaningful to all users even when taken out of context 
Skip directly to main content and other important pages.
Explore the content of mathematical formulae using MathML/MathJax (version 2.7.7) format, which is compatible with text-to-speech engines, can be magnified, converted to braille, and pasted into math equation editors and/or Microsoft Office documents.
Listen to all of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).
Use text to speech tools to read out website content in both PDF and HTML format (e.g. ClaroRead for Chrome browser). Text to speech tools are built into some browsers (e.g. Microsoft Edge) and are available as a plug-in for many others. Your phone, tablet or laptop accessibility settings are also likely to provide text to speech functionality.
Turn on captions for pre-recorded media content.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use  if you have a disability.

Available formats

Textbooks on the Cambridge Aspire website are delivered within our website, desktop and mobile eReader application Cambridge Spiral.  Currently the Cambridge Spiral application is being reviewed and updated to conform to WCAG compliance and will be submitted for accreditation once this work is completed. Please keep your application up to date via the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or by downloading updated version from our Cambridge Spiral information page as improvements are being added regularly as this work continues.  In the meantime, the contents of the textbook can be accessed and read in Cambridge Spiral via text-to-speech functionality in your browser/device. 

Copy and Printing

Within the eReader the user is allowed to copy/paste 20% of the text of a book.  It is also allowed to print up to 20% of the book from within the eReader. 

How accessible this website is

The majority of this website is fully accessible, and we run regular audits to identify any new problems. However, we know some parts of this website aren’t fully accessible, for example:

The date picker may not be fully accessible for screen reader users navigating out of the context.
The 3rd party HotJar user feedback tool may not be accessible to users of some assistive technologies.
Some elements of Cambridge Spiral eReader may not be optimised for all assistive technologies. It is in the process of being updated to comply with the WCAG 2.1 AA standard as a minimum. These fixes are being released incrementally.

For more detailed information please see the Compliance section below.

What to do if you can’t access parts of this website

Cambridge Aspire website now publishes the majority of its new titles, and many older titles, in accessible eBook formats either for individual purchase or on platforms suitable for institutions. Where a work is unavailable for purchase in a suitable format, we welcome enquiries from both individuals and institutions to provide one via our Accessibility Request Form . We aim to respond to any requests within 5-7 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

If you have difficulty using Cambridge Aspire website, please get in touch. The best way to reach us is to submit a diagnostics form , which will put you in touch with our technical support team. If you are unable to complete the form or prefer to contact us by phone, please find our technical support phone number on our contact information page .

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The date picker is not fully accessible for users of assistive technologies:

The pattern values and placeholder text do not match the visual format The input fields use the input type (date) which has limited support for voice activation users using Dragon software.
This fails WCAG success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.
Screen reader users are unable to access the input field and enter a date manually when navigating the date picker using mobile devices. When the calendar opens focus is not placed on the calendar and users travel through the content on the page behind the calendar.
This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.3 Focus Order.

The 3rd party HotJar user feedback tool screen capture element is not accessible to users of assistive technologies as

It is constructed using custom HTML and JavaScript functions which are not exposed correctly.
This fails WCAG success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard, 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.
A label for an interactive element is non-descriptive for screen reader users navigating out of the context of the page.
This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA).

Some elements of Cambridge Spiral eReader may not be optimised for all assistive technology. 

Some elements have insufficient colour contrast.
This fails WCAG success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
Some elements don’t reflow correctly when zoom function is utilised with some page content being truncated.
This fails WCAG success criterion 1.4.10 Reflow
Some interactive elements labels are not correctly read out by some mobile screen readers.
This fails WCAG success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions and 2.4.6 Headings and Labels
Zooming on mobile devices is disabled.
This fails WCAG success criterion 1.4.4 Resize text
The annotation menu requires path-based gestures for operation and cannot be operated with a single pointer without a path-based gesture.
This fails WCAG success criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard
Some status messages are not correctly announced by mobile screen readers and they are displayed for limited amount of time only.
This fails WCAG success criterion 4.1.3 Status Messages

Browser and mobile device support

This site is optimised for modern browsers including Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Google Chrome. You may experience unexpected behaviour in other browsers, although we use fully validated code which should work on any browser. However please note that we no longer support Internet Explorer 11. This site is responsive, it re-organises itself depending on the screen size and orientation of the device being used to view it. We test the experience on various devices including most popular IOS, Android and MS Windows phones and tablets. 

Screen reader compatibility 

This platform has been optimised for the following screen reader and browser combinations: 

Desktop screen readers 

VoiceOver with Safari (macOS) 
NVDA with Chrome 
JAWS with Chrome 
Narrator with Edge

Mobile screen readers 

VoiceOver with Safari (iOS) 
TalkBack with Chrome (Android)

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document which evaluates how accessible a particular product is according to the Section 508 Standards in the US. It is a self-disclosing document produced by the vendor which details each aspect of WCAG 2.2 requirements and how the product supports each criterion.

Download VPAT for Cambridge Higher Education (PDF)

How we test this website

This website undergoes regular testing against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard by development and quality assurance teams. Working with in house accessibility specialists, any actions derived from the testing are taken and prioritised into our future work.  In addition, we work with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) who completed their audit process for the site against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard in May 2024. We also conduct testing with users who have a variety of different types of disability to ensure the website is optimised for use with assistive technologies. 

Tools used for accessibility testing

NVDA screen reader (with Chrome) 
JAWS screen reader (with Chrome) 
VoiceOver screen reader (with Safari) 
Dragon speech recognition  
Keyboard only journeys 
High contrast mode (Windows) 
Magnification 
Browser testing on Safari, Chrome and Firefox 
Axe DevTools 
Accessibility Insights for Web 
HeadingsMap 
Text spacing tool 
Contrast checker 
Automated s/w (Cypress, Lambdatest) 
Mobile devices 
Mobile testing on Android and iPad (including in built screen readers) 
Accessibility scanner for Android

Engagement with accessibility services

Cambridge University Press have engaged with various accessibility initiatives and audits including RNIB Bookshare   collections (formerly Load2Learn) by donating digital files to the collection which ensures that accessible content reaches print disabled learners as fast as possible. 

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