ProQuest Congressional

Introduction

All researchers, regardless of ability, need access to scholarly information. ProQuest is committed to providing all our users with a fully accessible experience for research, teaching and learning.

At ProQuest, we make every effort to ensure that our platforms – including Congressional – can be used by everyone. ProQuest Congressional is continually designed and developed to meet Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions.

Accessibility features and gaps

Users of ProQuest Congressional should be able to:

• Navigate the website using just a keyboard.
• Go directly to main content areas on the page using skip links.
• Listen to the website using a screen reader.
• Easily read text on the page due to high color contrast.
• Zoom in up to 200% using browser tools without text spilling off screen.

There may be some parts of this website that are not fully accessible:

• Some full text documents may be in PDF image format only (unreadable to screen readers).
• Captions are not available for all videos. Audio descriptions are not provided for video content. However, please note that video content comprises a very small portion of Congressional content.
• A change in the re-sort options on Results pages is not communicated to screen reader users.
• If text spacing is adjusted, the panels on the home page may become difficult to read, the counts of content types on search results may get cutoff and results graphics may get obscured.
• On the whole, visible text labels conform to their corresponding accessible names. However, although legible by screen readers, header icons have non-standard labels and the info “i” icon (tool tip for Content Type) has no label.
• While alternative text is present for images and icons within the user interface, there may not be alternative text for every image within an article.
• In a small number of cases, the color contrast for non-text content (‘scroll to top’ icon and Bills and Laws graphs) may cause low text color contrast. There is an additional issue with low contrast when checkboxes on the Advanced search page are in their selected state.

If you have a disability and need to make your computer, tablet or other device easier to use, AbilityNet is a recommended resource. We also recommend browsing free add-ons offered for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Technical Information about this site’s accessibility

ProQuest is committed to making ProQuest Congressional accessible, in accordance with:

• Level A and Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1)
• Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance level and report

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Access the full Accessibility Compliance Report (VPAT 2.4 and WCAG) for ProQuest Congressional.

Accessibility of this platform

The user interface of the ProQuest Congressional is designed to be accessible and operable with multiple input mechanisms, including keyboards and screen readers. This is enabled by comprehensive labeling of form elements and icons, and features like lists and headings that are used to make the platform easier to navigate without a mouse.

Skipping repetitive page content via skip links is also possible on every page. Skip links allow you to bypass persistent header links and jump directly to main content.

The product is built to be responsive, meaning that regardless of the device you are using or the zoom level set in your browser, interface elements and content will reflow.

Accessibility gaps

Full Text – PDF

Much of the full text content is available in PDF format. Many researchers prefer these PDFs because they preserve the original formatting, layout, and graphics used in their original publication. For these same reasons, PDFs can be less accessible than HTML format.

The accessibility of the original PDFs found on ProQuest Congressional varies depending on the manufacturing process used by the original publisher. Despite having a fixed layout, most PDFs include text that can be selected, copied, and read by assistive technologies. In general, PDFs published more recently will have more accessibility features.

You may encounter some PDF full text documents that have been created from scanned images. This means text is not selectable or accessible by assistive technologies.

Where users have a problem accessing PDF content, contact us to discuss the most appropriate solutions using the contact information in the Support and Feedback section of this document.

Video Content

A very small amount of Congressional content is in video format. Captions are available for some videos, but not all. Audio descriptions are not provided for video content. Where captions or audio descriptions may be required, please contact us to discuss the most appropriate solution.

Accessibility Testing

The accessibility of ProQuest Congressional is a continual effort at ProQuest. Accessibility standards are built into our design, and style guides and included as part of requirements in our software development and quality assurance pipeline.

ProQuest Congressional code is checked for accessibility using a range of automated and manual checks including but not limited to:

• Color Contrast Analyzer provided by WebAIM
• High Contrast Chrome extension
• Keyboard-access manual testing and assessment
• WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation tool) provided by WebAIM
• NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) screen-reader utility

ProQuest Congressional is tested on the latest version Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Edge, and on devices including Mac and Windows computers, and Android and iOS devices.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Making content accessible is an ongoing effort at ProQuest. We’re committed to working with the community to ensure we continue to meet our customers’ needs. A list of our ongoing efforts include:

• Testing with users of all abilities
• The ProQuest Accessibility Council: a team of stakeholders working to increase accessibility resources and capabilities
• Pursuing partnerships with colleges, universities and other institutions to assist us in reviewing and updating our accessibility standards
• Supporting certifications for our employees
• Consulting with accessibility experts such as Deque

Support and feedback

If you have difficulty accessing specific ProQuest content or features with adaptive technology after trying the workarounds suggested in this statement, you can contact us using the links provided below. Our support services will respond within three days and are available to accommodate the communication needs of end users with disabilities. We will work with you to identify the best option for remediation, subject to content licensing restrictions and technical capability.

Online: ProQuest Technical Support

Phone:
United States & Canada (toll free):
+1 800 889 3358 (option 1)

Outside North America:
+800 4997 4111 or +1 734-707-2513

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This accessibility statement was prepared on September 9th, 2020. It was last reviewed on August 24, 2024.

The website was last tested on August 24, 2024. The test was carried out internally at ProQuest.

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