Newsela Accessibility Statement

At Newsela, we are committed to providing every student access to instructional content that excites, empowers, and unlocks their potential. Our platform is designed and developed using accessibility best practices with the goal of supporting all learners, regardless of their ability or use of assistive technology.

Some accessibility supports include:

  • Platform navigation using only a keyboard

  • Colors that meet both text and graphical color contrast standards

  • Alternative text on every image, including all article photos, illustrations, graphs and charts

  • Consistent element labeling and simple language

  • Interactive video with audio descriptions, closed captioning and transcripts

  • Responsive web design for screen magnification and device orientation

  • Accessible development practices to ensure integration with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, braille displays and text-spacing modifiers

Accessibility at Newsela 

Newsela’s student experience conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA and Section 508 standards as identified in our Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on our most recent Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) version 2.4 Rev. To create a sustainably accessible product and organizational culture, we follow these processes:

  • Provide accessibility training for all Newsela employees

  • Incorporate accessibility into every step of the software development lifecycle (SDLC)

  • Solicit feedback from teacher and student users through UX research testing and dedicated accessibility feedback email

  • Surface accessibility issues into regular development work for continuous improvement

  • Partner with third-party accessibility services companies to perform regular audits of surface areas and new features

  • Update our ACR as significant updates are made, at a minimum of every 6 months

 

Feedback and Contact

In our continuing commitment to make Newsela accessible for all of our users, we encourage your questions and feedback. 

Last Updated 5/31/23