Sierra Express Lane

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Introduction

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

At Clarivate, we make every effort to ensure that our platforms – including Sierra Express Lane – can be used by everyone. Sierra Express Lane is continually designed and developed to meet Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2).

Users of Sierra Express Lane should be able to:

Use a lightweight, intuitive self-checkout module.
Navigate most of the application using keyboard-only controls.
Experience a logical and consistent tab order across all interactive elements.

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

Some elements may have missing or unclear labels, making screen reader navigation less clear for buttons or form fields
Status updates are silent – screen readers aren’t notified when content changes
Inadequate Support for System-Level Text Resizing and Display Scaling
Focus indicators are missing or low contrast, hindering keyboard navigation.

Accessibility features and gaps

Self-checkout stations

It is important to note the accessibility of the patron experience is determined, in part, by the self-checkout implementation approach taken by the library. For example, the Sierra Express Lane software is designed to be compatible for keyboard and screen reader users, but a library must make these tools available in order to maintain the accessible experience. We encourage libraries to implement Sierra Express Lane in an accessible way, for example:

Provide a physical keyboard in addition to a touchscreen
Enable a screen reader (such as NVDA) on the checkout workstation
Offer a headphone jack with volume control for audio

Keyboard accessibility

Most functionality in Express Lane is available using only the keyboard (unless that functionality cannot be accomplished in any known way using a keyboard). If shortcut keys and access keys present, some may conflict with existing browser and screen reader shortcuts, and some functionality based on custom gestures may not be available when a screen reader is turned on. A few known issues may impact the user experience when navigating via a keyboard:

Virtual keyboard requires tabbing through each key, creating inefficient navigation and disrupting logical focus order.
Keyboard focus does not reach the data table in “View Checkouts” section.
“View Holds” table requires non-standard key (Ctrl + Tab) to exit, which is not intuitive or announced to users.

Screen reader accessibility

Most information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation can be programmatically determined or are available in text and properly announced via a screen reader.

The following exceptions exist:

Required fields are not announced or visually indicated
Static text not accessible to screen readers
Table structure may not be announced properly

Technical information about this site’s accessibility

Sierra Express Lane is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with:

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.2 at levels A and AA. See the full Accessibility Conformance Report (VPAT 2.5 and WCAG) for Sierra Express Lane for details.

How we tested this platform

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

Sierra Express Lane code is checked for accessibility using a range of automated and manual checks including but not limited to:

Color TPGI’s Color Contrast Analyzer
Keyboard-access manual testing and assessment
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) screen-reader
Applicable Standards/Guidelines

Sierra Express Lane is tested as a Desktop Application on Windows computer.

The website was last tested in September 2025. The test was carried out internally at Clarivate. Accessibility testing is part of our ongoing development lifecycle in addition to annual reviews.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility at Clarivate

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Accessibility of our tools and content is an ongoing effort at Clarivate. We’re committed to working with the community to ensure we continue to meet our customers’ needs. Learn more about Accessibility in our Academic and Government Products

Some of our ongoing efforts includes:

Maintaining a network of trained accessibility champions, providing knowledge-sharing through the cross-functional Accessibility Council and access to external experts
Integrating accessibility at the design stage, building accessibility throughout the development lifecycle
Providing accessibility awareness training for all colleagues, and dedicated training for developers and quality assurance engineers, encouraging team members to pursue certifications
Accessibility is embedded in our development process. Our acceptance of new features and functionality requires compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA

Consulting with accessibility experts for ongoing consultation and 3rd party audits
Growing our accessibility program with dedicated in-house experts, including IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) Certified and DHS Trusted Tester Certified colleagues
Continuously making improvements to remediate known issues and customer cases
Working with our content providers to improve the accessibility of content on our platforms

Support and feedback

If you have difficulty accessing specific Clarivate content or features 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.

Current customers: submit questions or issues by opening a case using the Support Portal.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This accessibility statement was prepared in September 2025. It was last reviewed in January 2026.

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