The IEEE is committed to making the IEEE Xplore website accessible to all of our customers.
The present accessibility compliance status of IEEE Xplore is as follows:
IEEE Xplore meets basic accessibility standards for the visually impaired
IEEE is actively engaged in ensuring accessibility on all sites
Any parts of IEEE Xplore or sub sites that do not meet accessibility standards can be brought to our attention via e-mail to onlinesupport@ieee.org.
The content served on IEEE Xplore and its sub sites are in standard HTML and JSP format. These formats are accessible to users with screen readers and text browsers. Non-textual content such as graphics, icons, etc. utilize alternate image tags that can be read by screen readers and text browsers.
The IEEE Xplore site relies on Portable Document Format (PDF) as the format for content and layout of online publications. There is a detailed PDF specification that provides requirements for author submission of articles. PDF documents are most easily viewed and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader™, version 5.0 or higher. Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded from Adobe Systems, Inc.
Note: Adobe Acrobat offers capabilities which enable users with disabilities to access PDF documents by means of text-to-speech read aloud features, customization of font size, ability to view in high contrast mode and utilization of keyboard navigation.
The IEEE Xplore site uses accessible colors and fonts generated using CSS. Certain sections of the IEEE Xplore site may require adjustments for proper rendering on screen readers and text browsers. Default styles/views can be disabled by going to your browser's 'Preference' or 'Options' menu. In addition, IEEE has implemented "ALT" and "TITLE" tags, including all special characters rendered as in-line or displayed images.
Every effort has been made to ensure that IEEE Xplore is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust complying with the following WCAG 2.0 Level AA Guidelines:
Alternative text is provided for images and form buttons (Guideline 1.1)
Semantic markup is used appropriately to designate headings and lists. (Guideline 1.3)
The reading and navigation order is logical and intuitive. (Guideline 1.3)
Text can be resized without loss of content or functionality (Guideline 1.4)
Color is not used as the sole method of conveying content or distinguishing visual elements. (Guideline 1.4)
All page functionality is available using the keyboard (Guideline 2.1)
The following tools are available to allow for ease of navigating the site (Guideline 2.4):
Skip Navigation is provided on all pages to provide a means to jump directly to core content
Pages contain meaningful titles
The navigation order of links, form elements, etc. is logical and intuitive
Users can find content via multiple ways (browsing or searching)
Page headings and labels for form and interactive controls are informative.
It is visually apparent which page element has the current keyboard focus
The language of the page is identified using the HTML lang attribute (Guideline 3.1)
Common elements contain consistent identification throughout the site. (Guideline 3.2)
Forms provide relevant LABEL and TITLE attributes. (Guideline 3.3)
Markup elements have complete start and end tags, elements are nested according to their specifications, elements do not contain duplicate attributes, and any IDs are unique, except where the specifications allow these features. (Guideline 4.1)
We have made every attempt to ensure that the IEEE Xplore website adheres to the following Section 508 standards:
Provide text equivalents for images
Tolerable contrast, No color reliance
Organization not reliant on style sheets
Data cells have headers (in cases where used for presenting data)
Include row and column headers for tables (in cases where used for presenting data)
Screen flickering between 2-55 Hz
Text-only pages for inaccessible content (full text content is provided in PDF format)
Repetitive navigation links can be skipped
Provide links to plug-ins or applets
Electronic forms are accessible through assistive technologies
Scripting elements identified by functional text