Elsevier Statement on the Updates to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Accessible Web Content and Mobile Apps
Last updated 27 May 2025
Elsevier's Commitment to Helping Our Customers Meet ADA Title II
Elsevier is committed to providing accessible products and services that are designed to align with applicable laws and standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) opens in new tab/window.
The ADA April 2024 Title II rule opens in new tab/window to standardize WCAG 2.1 AA for websites and native apps will help make it easier for people with disabilities to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs. Elsevier is steadfast in its desire to help our communities benefit from more accessible books, journals, and information analytics services. Elsevier is taking steps, using its best-in-class practices, to align its products and services with ADA Title II guidelines by the deadline of April 24, 2026. Elsevier’s digital products are designed and coded to meet the ADA’s requirement to conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA.
Books
Elsevier makes all new ebooks available in an accessible ePUB 3 format. All standard ePUB ebooks published since July 2023 have received the Benetech Globally Certified Accessible (GCA) certification, providing users with disabilities with a consistently accessible ebook that works on a variety of devices and conforms to WCAG 2.2 AA and ePUB 1.1. Ebooks also contain ONIX accessibility metadata, which will allow ebook consumers to examine accessibility features and hazards before purchasing or using our ebooks. Notable features of Elsevier ePUB ebooks include reflowable text, image alt text, video closed captions, and compatibility with text-to-speech software.
Elsevier has invested in the remediation of approximately 8,000 of our most current and widely used ebooks on our largest content platforms. Enhancements include fully accessible ePUB, tagged PDFs, video captions, alt text for content images, and accessibility metadata. For older legacy ebook titles, Elsevier will be launching an Accessible Format Request (AFR) service later in 2025. The AFR service will allow customers to easily request that a title be remediated to conform with WCAG 2.2 level AA standards. These requests will be assessed individually, and where feasible, fully accessible versions will be provided. Consumers may access Elsevier ebooks in a variety of formats including HTML, tagged PDF, ePUB, and VST/VitalSource. By summer 2025, ScienceDirect users will be able to download accessible ePUB ebooks, and by the end of year they will be able to request accessible ePUB for backlist titles that have not yet been fully remediated.
Accommodations for Print Disabilities
Students with a print disability who have purchased a hard-copy book and require an accommodation may use our Alternative Format Request Form opens in new tab/window or The AccessText Network opens in new tab/window (for customers in the U.S. and Canada) to assess options.
Journals
Elsevier publishes over 5,000 journal titles across many Science and Health subject areas. From October 2025, journals will be offered as tagged PDFs to ensure compatibility with assistive technology. Journals are also available in HTML format on ScienceDirect, a web platform with a 20+ year history in digital accessibility. We are actively adding WCAG features such as image alt text, video closed captions and transcripts to our workflows for newly published articles, and plan to make these available by April 24, 2026. We will also seek to remediate existing content for accessibility.
Information Analytics Products
Elsevier's wider portfolio of information analytics tools and services aims to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA. Digital products sold to U.S. institutions will be put on a remediation plan whereby accessibility experts will coach teams during the design, development, and testing cycles toward continuous improvement.
To attest to WCAG conformance, Elsevier makes transparent, detailed Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) available on a central public repository. By April 2026, we aim to have a full repository of product ACRs and Accessibility Statements for our products and services.
Submission Systems
Our submission systems are currently being assessed for WCAG 2.1 AA conformance to meet the April 2026 ADA deadline. If an author, reviewer, or editor needs assistance with a book or journal submission, or with editorial or review activities, Elsevier will provide disability accommodations as needed to allow our users to proceed through the workflow. This includes assistance with using our submission system and proofing web sites, as well as new options for adding or editing alt text for images. Our author guidelines will provide updated best practices for ensuring accessible journal and book content by the April 2026 deadline.
Elsevier’s Approach
Besides a central accessibility team, Elsevier has a network of more than 200 accessibility champions working in various roles to ensure that our digital content and user experiences are accessible and compliant. We offer onboarding accessibility training as well as a formal certification program for product development teams. Elsevier goes beyond compliance by testing our products with people with disabilities. By the end of 2025, our Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) process will include accessibility testing and design reviews. Learn more about our approach in Elsevier’s Accessibility Policy.
Library Partnership
Elsevier will continue to champion accessibility through both the Library Accessibility Alliance eResource testing program and the Elsevier Accessibility Library Advisory Board.
To learn more about Elsevier’s accessibility program or to request support from an accessibility expert, please contact [email protected] opens in new tab/window.