The Brytewave Platform is powered by the RedShelf eReader!
RedShelf's mission is to transition the learning community to digital, including students with accessibility needs. Our philosophy of accessibility as a basic human right means that it’s a requirement (not a “feature”) and is integrated into every team, process, and product in the following ways by the RedShelf Accessibility Team:
- We train every new hire on the importance of our company-wide philosophy.
- We evaluate accessibility and usability from the beginning, and throughout the Software Development Lifecycle.
- We encourage our publishing partners to create content in EPUB format, and provide feedback on content that does not meet our standards for accessibility.
- We go beyond industry ICT standards (WCAG 2.1, Section 508 & 504 Compliance) are transparent in reporting our VPAT results as well as our status on planned accessibility initiatives.
- We support and contribute to industry standards for accessibility in development, design, and compliance, as well as involve people with disabilities in our research, testing and beta releases.
- Our Accessibility Policy statement is readily available on all RedShelf digital products, along with contact information for our Accessibility Team.
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
In July 2020, RedShelf signed a three-year partnership agreement with Level Access, an accessibility consulting firm, to provide third-party auditing and testing support for our product suite. While our engineering and product teams take an accessibility-first approach when developing all of our digital products, having third-party testers with disabilities validating the user experience is essential for our products to be beneficial for all users.
The first product to undergo review is the cornerstone of our student experience—the RedShelf eReader. The results of this audit are outlined in the new VPAT and will help inform our eReader Product Roadmap thru FY 2021. Please access the link below for our most recent VPAT document. If you have any questions please email us at accessibility@redshelf.com
- RedShelf eReader VPAT 2.4 / WCAG 2.1 & Section 508 (PDF will open in a new window)
- eReader Accessibility Roadmap, current as of October 1, 2020 (PDF will open in a new window)
Standards and Involvement
Through direct involvement with research centers, experts, advocates, and users in the accessibility community, RedShelf is at the forefront of accessibility development. We are always expanding our accessibility knowledge by being directly involved with global accessibility organizations.
- We are inclusive Publishing Partners with the DAISY Consortium who strive to make e-books accessible for everyone by contributing to the development of open accessible standards and supporting inclusive publishing efforts around the world.
- Our eReader has been given a 100% non-visual reading score by the epubtest.org EPUB 3 Support Grid Test Suite. The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) designed the Grid Test Suite, and it is maintained through a partnership between the IDPF, DAISY Consortium, and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG)
- Members of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) who strives to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient book industry. Our Accessibility Team serves on both the Metadata and Workflow Committees.
- A Community of Practice member of the Accessibility Switchboard, connecting industry and consumers to solutions for technology accessibility, and the benefits of organization-wide approaches to accessibility. The Accessibility Switchboard is a project of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
- Members of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).
Unparalleled Accessibility Support
RedShelf is proud of the mutually beneficial relationships that we share with institutions and publishers. We collaborate closely with our partners to provide the most optimized materials possible. The publishing industry has embraced born accessible EPUB 3, and in keeping with the DAISY Consortium’s white paper, Producing Better Documents for Everyone, we produce our internal employee documentation in EPUB format, as well.
Upon request, RedShelf will work with campus accessibility offices to provide alternate solutions for students. In cases where individual help is necessary, RedShelf utilizes a dedicated, onsite team to give students and faculty one-on-one support. To request an alternate version of a publication, or to schedule a time to meet with our Accessibility Team, please email us at accessibility@redshelf.com.
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