Assessment Report | LEAP

Assessment Information
eResource Title	Vendor	Overall Grade
Tourism Cases	CABI	A-

Images

Positioning of Images

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?	Always

Functional images embedded in the background

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there functional images embedded in the background?	Never	There is no misalignment when the text size is enlarged.

Presence of Icons

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there icons where appropriate, such as icons to indicate PDF Full Text, Download, Folder, Citation, etc?	Always	Icons for functions such as view citations, add to project (folder), email, view PDF etc. are displayed in the item records.

Alt Text

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Always
Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Always	Functional images such as the search icon (magnifying glass) contain alt text.
Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Always	The CABI logo at the top of every page has alt text and redirects back to the CABI Digital Library homepage.

Content Scaling

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off?	Always	Text remains intact, readable and not cut off when zoomed in at 200%.
Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%?	Always	Different types of images are mostly clear and unpixelated when zoomed in at 200%.
Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%?	Always	There is no horizontal scrolling option when zoomed in at 200%.

Colour and Contrast

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1?	Sometimes	Very low contrast between text and background colours on some pages, as the text don't meet the 4.5:1 contrast ratio.

Colour

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents?	Not Applicable	There are no colour coded graphs apparent on the interface.
Are blocks of content separated from one another using visual separation (such as whitespace or borders)?	Always
Are text alternatives provided where colour is used to indicate an action?	Always	There are orange action buttons with text, such as the "Login", "Search", and "View all Cases" buttons.

Text to speech

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options?	Never	There are no text to speech or read aloud options embedded within the database.

Clustered Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Using your mouse, is the clickable area around links and buttons large enough for users to see and activate easily?	Always
Using your mouse to test links, are links and buttons far enough apart for users to accurately activate?	Always
Using any method to test links, are all links and buttons functional (i.e., not dead)?	Always
Are links or buttons accessible via keyboard navigation?	Always

Dynamic content

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can users pause carousel movement?	Always	Currently, three testimonial slides autoplay in the Testimonials section of the main search page. Users can use the previous and next slide buttons to move back and forth between the testimonials, and can also click on an area of a particular testimonial to pause the movement for reading. There is also an invisible skip link to skip the slideshow via keyboard navigation as well.
Is all functionality, including navigating between carousel items, operable by keyboard?	Always

Liquid layout

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is the order of the text preserved at all screen resolutions, without overlap?	Always
Do images avoid overlapping at all screen resolutions?	Always
Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions?	Always

Labels and Instructions for Interactive Elements

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are user input fields accompanied by clear instructions on what the user needs to do to successfully complete the form?	Always	The advanced search form and other forms such as the Recommend to Library form do have instructions that accompany the user input fields.
Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above?	Always
Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand?	Always
Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field?	Sometimes	Other than the advanced search form, labels are usually placed above the user input fields on most forms.
Are text cues for coloured form control labels available?	Never	Required fields are not in colour on forms.
Are other visual indicators provided consistently, such as an asterisk for required form fields?	Always	The asterisk or yellow star are visual indicators for required form fields.

Error Prevention

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are user input fields either reversible, checked, or confirmed? One of the three is acceptable.	Always	When a user submits a form, such as the newsletter sign-up form, the form is automatically checked for errors, and the user is provided the opportunity to make corrections on the form. It would indicate any required fields or errors.

Error Reports

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are alert messages clearly visible to the user, either at the top of the form field, inline, or through a dialog box?	Always	When incorrect responses are submitted on sign-up forms, there is an orange alert message at the very top of the form to inform the user to make corrections to any errors on the form.
Do alert messages clearly indicate the field in which the error has occurred and a description of the error and the fix?	Always	Required field alert messages in orange appear below incorrect input fields to indicate to the user the required fields that need to be filled out.
Is the user able to easily access the user input field to correct the error?	Always
Is the user able to resubmit the form and re-validate their submission?	Always
Do error reports follow a logical reading and navigation order?	Sometimes	When using keyboard navigation, it doesn't tab to the alert message "please correct the errors below" and the required field alert messages. It just tabs to the the input fields. Thus, the screen reader only reads the labels of the input fields and not the error messages.

Search function spell-check

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When a user spells a word incorrectly, does the search function offer spelling suggestions or synonyms?	Sometimes	When a user spells a word incorrectly in the main and advanced search bars, the search function doesn't offer spelling suggestions. However, the search bar on the results page does offer spelling suggestions as one types into it.

Functionality of Interactive Elements

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are icons such as to save, download, or print consistent across the site?	Always
Is alternative text clear and consistent for each icon type?	Always
Are actions consistently labelled across the site? For example, the “search” button is always labeled “search”.	Always
Are icons that have adjacent links consistent?	Always
Can the purpose of each link be determined from the link text alone?	Always

Consistent Navigation

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the eresource have a consistent layout and navigation across all pages?	Always
Are search fields located in the same places throughout the website?	Always	Search fields are usually located near the top of the page on the main search page and on the advanced search page. On the results page, the search bar is also located near the top of the page to allow for the searching of results.
Do other features occur in the same place throughout the website?	Always	The contact information and the green help button is always located near the bottom of each page.
Are links, buttons, images, and other components that are used repeatedly throughout a website labeled consistently?	Always

Pop-up windows/Interruptions

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the electronic resource avoid the use of pop-up windows which open automatically in a new tab if a user clicks on a button?	Always
Does the database avoid launching pop-up windows automatically when the database is loaded?	Sometimes	A cookies consent pop-up window appears when the user loads the database for the first time in a browser.
Where pop-ups occur, are users able to postpone or suppress any pop-ups?	Sometimes	A user must select which types of cookies to accept, in order to close the cookies consent pop-up window.
Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing?	Sometimes	The database doesn't launch pages in a new browser window. However, some pages such as the CABI Thesaurus on the advanced search page, will open in a new tab within the window, and the back and next buttons will be greyed out.

Headers

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is page content subdivided hierarchically into appropriate headings and tagged appropriately?	Sometimes	On some pages, headings don't follow a hierarchical structure. For example, a lower degree heading is above a higher degree heading or a heading level is skipped.
Are headings concise and clear, and accurately reflect the content under that heading?	Always

Menus

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do database page menus have a reasonable number of navigation items and drop-down options?	Always
Does the main navigation and drop-downs contain a reasonable number of menu items?	Sometimes	In the main set of menu options located on the top left corner of every page, the drop-down menu allows the user to select and click on a menu item to further navigate to a submenu item. However, if a user clicks on the "Browse products" drop-down, there are no submenu options to select, and a large number of menu items are displayed at the same time.
Can all menus and submenus be accessed with screen readers and via keyboard navigation?	Always

Change of context

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the “results” page or item record view avoid opening in a new tab without a warning?	Always
Is there an "update now" button that requests a refresh of content rather than automatically updating the content?	Never	There is no "update now" button that requests a refresh of content. Content is updated automatically when filters are selected.
Does the database avoid automatic redirection?	Always

Change of Context: Focus

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the form refrain from submitting automatically when a component receives focus?	Always
Does the database avoid launching new windows when a component receives focus?	Always
Does the database avoid change of focus when a component receives focus?	Always
Are you able to tab through a page using keyboard navigation without the keyboard focus moving away from the control?	Always

Navigation Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text, or from the link text together with its surrounding context?	Always

Keyboard Navigation

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can keyboard focus be moved to all page elements?	Sometimes	Keyboard focus can be moved to most page elements. However, the green help button located at the bottom right corner cannot be activated via keyboard navigation.
If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page?	Not Applicable	No indication that additional keys are needed to move keyboard focus away from a component, since the tab and arrow keys are sufficient to do this.
Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above?	Always
When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible?	Sometimes	The keyboard focus indicator is visible when tabbing through most elements of the interface, with the exception of the help button.
Does all interactive functionality work via keyboard, and does it behave consistently and as expected?	Sometimes	The help button is not accessible with the tab key. Thus, users may not be able to search for help.
Does focus order move sequentially across form fields?	Always

Skip Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there skip links (either visible or invisible)?	Always	Using the Google Chrome browser to do the test, there are skip links.
Are skip links visible or invisible?	Always	Skip links are invisible, and become visible via keyboard navigation tabbing.
Are skip links (visible or invisible) positioned prominently near the beginning of the page?	Always
Are skip links labelled properly?	Always	Invisible skip links are properly labelled, such as "Skip the header", "Skip the navigation", "Skip the banner", and "Skip slideshow" on the main search page.
Are skip links accessible via keyboard?	Always
Do anchors (link destinations) appear at the beginning of the relevant content?	Always
Do skip navigation controls appear in the same place on every page?	Always	On most pages, the "Skip the header" skip link is always positioned at the top left corner, and it's the very first tab element.

Tables

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the reader capture accurate information as it appears in the table and the columns and rows?	Always	A table within one of the case studies was used for the test. The Read&Write reader was able to read accurate information in the table in a logical sequence.

Frames

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another?	Always	The NVDA screen reader can navigate from the footer navigation options on the bottom of the page to the frame that contains the help widget on most pages in a logical manner.
Does each frame have a meaningful title that tells the user the purpose of the frame?	Always
When navigating the page using keyboard navigation, is the user able to navigate effectively from one frame to the next?	Never	A user cannot navigate from the footer navigation options on the bottom of the page to the frame that contains the help widget via keyboard navigation.

PDFs

Searchable PDFs

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only?	Never	The sampled PDF case studies were published between 2020-2024, with 2020 being the oldest publication year, and 2024 being the most recent publication year of the case studies in the database. All sampled PDFs have text that are searchable and extractable.
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)?	Never
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable?	Always

Tagged PDFs

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are alternative descriptions provided?	Sometimes	Three sampled PDFs have one alternative text issue and two other sampled PDFs have five alternative text issues.
Is primary language specified?	Always	Primary language is specified in all sampled PDFs.
Is reliable character encoding provided?	Always	Reliable character encoding is provided in all sampled PDFs.
Are all page elements tagged?	Sometimes	The Headings section passed the accessibility check for three of the sampled PDFs only. Under the Page Content section, tagged content and tab order failed the accessibility check for all five sampled PDFs.
Are list and table structure correct?	Sometimes	There were issues with lists and tables for two of the five sampled PDFs.

Structure: Reading Order

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections?	Sometimes	For one of the sampled PDFs, the Read Out Loud function read Table 1 as per the order that it was in. However, the reader skipped reading Table 2 on the following page as per its order, jumped to the next heading, finished reading all the text until the end of the page, and then returned to read Table 2. The reading order could be confusing for users.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”?	Always
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document?	Always

Magnification

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read?	Sometimes	When zoomed to 250%, the text is usually clear throughout the document and in tables. However, for some sampled PDFs, the text is not sharp and blurry in certain figures such as graphs and maps.

Images

Positioning of Images

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?	Always

Alternative Description

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Sometimes	The Read Out Loud function was not able to read the textual alternative of some informative images for some PDFs.
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	The CABI logo is on the title pages of the case studies, and don't have alternative text.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Sometimes	Rich images such as graphs and diagrams do appear in some PDFs, and some do have textual alternatives. The Read Out Loud function was not able to read the textual alternative of some rich images for certain PDFs.

Tables

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate?	Sometimes	Not all tables are tagged in the sampled PDFs. The screen reader reads tables row by row.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers?	Always	Table headers in sampled PDFs do allow for easy navigation when tables are read with the screen reader.

Additional Navigational Aids

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks?	Sometimes	The Bookmarks panel does not display bookmarks for all sampled PDFs.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document?	Always	For the sampled PDFs that do have bookmarks, the bookmarks do link to the correct sections in the document.

Video Captions

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are videos captioned?	Always	This database mainly consists of tourism case studies and not videos. There is an embedded YouTube video on the About page that explains what the Tourism Cases database is all about. The video has captions.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive?	Always	The video itself has open captions that cannot be turned off, and also closed captions generated by YouTube that the user could turn on as well. There is a CC button on the bottom right of the YouTube video to turn on closed captions.
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)?	Always	Captions are typo-free, but complete punctuation is not used.
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video?	Always	The open captions and the optional closed captions appear in the bottom of the video, and do not block any important visual components. However, if closed captions are turned on, they would be displayed in front of the open captions that are in the background, making captions cluttered and not clear.
Are the captions in sync with spoken words?	Always
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided?	Always	The user would have to click on the YouTube button and view the video on the YouTube platform for a transcript. There is a transcript available below the description area of the YouTube video.
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided?	Not Applicable

Described Video

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link?	Never	The video does not include an option for described video or provides a transcript that describes the video. However, on the About page where the YouTube video is embedded, there is a summary about the Tourism Cases database and who it's suited for.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents?	Not Applicable

Audio Accessibility

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip?	Not Applicable	This database contains no audio files.
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio?	Not Applicable

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