Lexis Nexis Uni

***Below is a summary of UARC's accessibility evaluation. For the full report, click the pdf link in the menu on the right.*** 

MSU Usability/Accessibility Research and Consulting (MSU UARC) conducted a high-level accessibility evaluation of Lexis Nexis Uni to evaluate its conformance with WCAG 2.0 AA Criteria. This evaluation did not include all functionality or content of the site or all WCAG 2.0 AA Criteria.

During this evaluation, a number of issues were found that will make the site difficult to use for many individuals with disabilities.

Keyboard users, including screen reader users and users with dexterity impairments, will have difficulties or be unable to use some content on the site. Most importantly, some content cannot be reached or operated via keyboard and some content changes unexpectedly when focus is advanced or when inputs are activated. Additionally, many interactive elements lack a sufficiently visible focus indicator, making it difficult for many keyboard-only users to effectively use them, as they cannot determine when they have reached the correct element. Focus order is also incorrect in places, further increasing the difficulty of using the site with a keyboard.

Individuals with visual impairments that rely on screen readers will have additional problems. Custom elements do not correctly announce themselves or provide appropriate feedback to screen readers, making them difficult to understand and use. Many form inputs are not appropriately labeled or do not have instructions read out by screen readers, making those inputs difficult or impossible to use for those that rely on screen readers. Some images have missing or incorrect alternative text, further impacting users with visual impairments. Some structural information, including headings, lists, and labels, is also not appropriately conveyed to screen reader users, making it difficult to understand content organization.

Other issues were found that will make it difficult for users with a variety of disabilities to effectively use the system, including insufficient color contrast, incorrect reading order, and insufficiently descriptive page titles.

To improve access for users with disabilities, UARC recommends a full WCAG 2.0 AA evaluation and that the problems discovered be remediated.