Accessibility

Amplify is committed to building products that address the needs of all learners, including those with disabilities. We do so by methodically integrating accessibility considerations into our product development lifecycle and implementing training and vendor management programs that support compliance with accessibility guidelines and best practices.

Amplify works with external experts in digital accessibility to ensure that we build our products according to the WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines and best practices. This includes engaging accessibility experts to conduct assessments and commit to a remediation plan for identified deficiencies. We are also implementing WCAG 2.0 training programs to support integration of accessibility concerns into the decision-making process of our product design and development teams.

Below are highlights of the accessibility features in Amplify ELA:

Text Alternatives

The following features provide text alternatives to support Amplify ELA content:

1. Text-to-speech tools

• Lesson text, ELA article and book text, and image alt tags can be read by device-specific text-to-speech screen readers.
• Many ELA eReader articles and books, as well as digital reading assessments, include embedded audio recordings of the text.

2. Alt tags

• All student-facing images in Amplify ELA lessons have alt tags.

3. Closed captions

• All Amplify ELA videos have closed-captioned functionality that is enabled by default.

4. Braille displays support

• Using device-specific screen readers, content can be sent to refreshable Braille displays that work with HTML.

Distinguishability

Fonts:

1. Adjustable type and size.

• Amplify ELA provides flexibility and student choices in key components of the product.
• The font used in the program body copy is Benton Sans (an easy to read sans serif body font) set at 16 px.
• Users can choose to view the content at actual size or adjust the zoom at varying percentages by using the device’s built-in settings and/or the browser settings.

2. Adjustable colors and background colors.

• Adjustment of contrast and colors can be customized using the settings provided by the device manufacturer and/or using the browser settings.
• Highlighters are provided in the four standard colors (yellow, rose, green, blue, lavender).

3. Background:

• Adjustment of contrast and colors can be customized using the settings provided by the device manufacturer and/or using the browser settings.

Operability

Navigation Features

• Buttons, icons and other non-text navigational elements have been optimally sized for desktop, laptop and tablet devices. Browser zoom features can be used to increase and decrease the size of the navigational elements
• Keyboard shortcuts are available for most navigation elements. In addition, the tabbing function on a keyboard can also be used for navigation.
• Lesson text, article and book text, and image alt tags can be read by device-specific text-to- speech screen readers and can be sent to refreshable Braille screen displays that work with HTML.

Assistive Technologies

Amplify ELA has been tested with browser and device-based accessibility features that allow for magnification, text-to-speech, and on-screen keyboards, on macOS, iOS, Chrome OS, and Windows.

Paper Materials

All student-facing print components are available in the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) database, and all student-facing PDFs in Amplify ELA are screen-readable.