Skip to Main Content

Accessibility support from the Library

About our Library Resources

Many of the Library resources are available electronically both on and off campus. This electronic content is provided by external publishers and the accessibility of these resources can vary, although most can be accessed without a problem using the features within software such as Jaws, or features within your computers operating system, or free plug-ins for web browsers. 

We have created an eResources accessibility guide which details the accessibility of many of the most commonly used of our resources.  There are also suggestions for some free assistive tools which you may find useful.

Accessing our eBooks

There are a number of options you might want to change within an eBook to make it more accessible to your needs.  These include:

  • Changing the text size
  • Changing the text colour
  • Changing the background colour
  • Having text read out loud 

Not all of these options will be available within the eBook platform itself, but there may be options within web browers, eReader software or Adobe Acrobat which allow you to make some changes.  

Use the tabs to see information on how you can make changes in our main eBook platforms.

If you have problems accessing any of our resources electronically, check for guidance on accessing specific resources in our eResource accessibility guide. If you still have problems please contact us on academicskills@staffs.ac.uk with details of the resource you are trying to access and any errors shown.

ProQuest provide Accessibility Mode as an option that can be turned on within Ebook Central by using a screen reader such as JAWS or VoiceOver.  Once turned on, Ebook Central's interface changes to a text-based view and the screen reader can then be used to read the text on the screen and control navigation.

Once accessibility mode is enabled, your screen reader will read out instructions on toggling the mode off in case you ever need to disable it.

Accessibility mode can also be enabled by the Ebook Technical Support team. Please contact ebooksupport@proquest.com to request accessibility mode if you cannot enable it directly using your screen reader.
 

Changing Text Size

Text throughout Ebook Central can be resized using standard browser or operating system controls without loss of content or functionality and without use of horizontal scrolling.

Changing Font and Background Colours

Foreground and background colours may be inverted by the user.

Read Aloud

You can use your screen reader with chapter download or full document download on  Ebook Central. From the Detail Page, the screen reader can be used to either 'full download' the book using Adobe Digital Editions, or 'chapter/page-range download' parts of the book to a full-text PDF.  Text can then be read using the normal features within the software.Read aloud features within your device's operating system, or free accessibility tools will also work with eBook Central.

Accessibility Video from eBook Central

ProQuest have produced a video which highlights the accessibility features available:

The VLeBooks platform supports PDF eBooks which are formatted to read online and support the accessibility functionality within the VLeBooks Reader.

There are a range of accessibility options available to users which make searching and navigating the platform easier.

For full details please visit https://www.vlebooks.com/vleweb/Home/AccessibilityGuidance

Accessibility Settings

To access these options, select Edit Accessibility Settings on the left side of the screen. This feature enables users to set their own preferences for the platform.

Options include:

  • Large Font
  • High Contrast
  • Highlight links in yellow
  • Underline Links
  • Greyscale Colour mode
  • Dyslexic friendly font
  • Prevent pop-up auto close

The options are applied permanently or until users make a change.

When reading via the platform, users can change the background colour to suit their requirements. Select ‘Read Online’ and access the colour palate in the top right-hand corner of the screen. This will open a pop-up panel which allows users to select a reading background from one of seven 7 different dyslexia-friendly colours.

To amend contrast in the reader, users will need a browser plugin such as ‘High Contrast’ on Chrome https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/high-contrast/djcfdncoelnlbldjfhinnjlhdjlikmph?hl=en

Watch or listen to a video on the Accessibility Options https://www.brownsbfs.co.uk/help/vlebooks-videos/vlebooks-video-accessibility

Text to Speech

The VLE reader has inbuilt text-to-speech, available through ‘Read Online’ which can be used from both desktop and mobile views. The Read Aloud feature enables the user more freedom to roam desktops or browsing devices where traditional assistive software would have been required. Read aloud is a core feature built into the online platform allowing for wider audience access to audible facilities where assistive software may not have been possible or practical.

eBooks downloaded to eReader software such as Adobe Digital Editions can be read by most other software. Common software tools and their compatibility are as follows:

Read & Write Gold

This software has Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capability which enables the eBook to be read via the platform or via download through Adobe Digital Editions.

JAWS, NVDA

This is not compatible with the online reader. Download the eBook to Adobe Digital Editions to enable this software to perform.

We recommend accessing the software manufacturers’ own user guides for further information.

Use the following link for information on other tools which may improve the reading experience: https://www.learningapps.co.uk/moodle/xertetoolkits/play.php?template_id=1402