Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)
Product Name: The Literary Encyclopedia (subscriber-only portal)
Company: The Literary Dictionary Company Ltd
Website: https://www.litencyc.com
Date: December 15, 2025
Prepared by: Managing Editor, The Literary Dictionary Company Ltd
1. Summary
This Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) describes how the subscriber-only portal of The Literary Encyclopedia (https://www.litencyc.com) conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. The evaluation has been carried out in accordance with the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®) 2.5 INT Edition, which maps to WCAG 2.1, EN 301 549, and Section 508 standards.
2. Evaluation Methods Used
This website was last tested during September-October 2025. Since we are a small company, a detailed accessibility audit performed by a third party would have been a disproportionate burden on our resources. In addition, most of the content and functionality we offer is in the form of text (rather than images, videos, embedded content, tables etc.), so easier to make WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. We therefore opted for a basic check, which was carried out in-house by our own systems engineer.
Testing was carried out using automated tools (axe, WAVE, Accessibility Insights) and manual verification with assistive technologies including NVDA (Windows), VoiceOver (macOS and iOS), and TalkBack (Android). Keyboard-only navigation and browser zoom up to 200% were tested across Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Edge. Findings were cross-checked against WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria. Further testing was provided by several librarians responsible for Accessibility conformance at our subscribing institutions. Representative pages and templates were assessed. The testing focused on the user-facing portal available to institutional subscribers, excluding internal editorial and administrative interfaces.
Accessibility of The Literary Encyclopedia relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on a user’s computer:
- HTML
- WAI-ARIA
- CSS
- JavaScript
These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.
3. Conformance Status
Based on the evaluation, The Literary Encyclopedia subscriber portal is considered to fully conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. User-facing features are accessible via keyboard, provide appropriate text alternatives, and maintain logical heading structure. Form field labelling and dynamic content updates have been revised and improved.
4. Standards and Guidelines
This ACR is based on the following accessibility standards and guidelines: - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Levels A and AA - Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d) - EN 301 549: Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services (EU) - Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (UK), as amended in 2022
5. WCAG 2.1 Level AA Conformance Table
| WCAG Success Criterion | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A) | Supports | All meaningful images have text alternatives. |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (A) | Supports | No audio-only or video-only content is provided on the subscriber interface. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) | Supports | ARIA landmarks and heading hierarchies are consistent. |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard (A) | Supports | All navigation elements are operable via keyboard; visible focus maintained. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA) | Supports | Focus indicators are clearly visible throughout the portal. |
| 3.3.1 Error Identification (A) | Supports | Error messages are displayed, with clear labels in form fields. |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A) | Supports | Interactive components expose name, role, and state to assistive technologies. |
6. Accessibility Roadmap
The Literary Dictionary Company Ltd is committed to maintaining conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and to aligning with WCAG 2.2 AA when adopted by US institutions. Accessibility testing will be repeated annually, and any identified issues will be remediated as part of regular platform updates.
7. Contact Information
If you wish to raise an issue regarding the website we maintain, please contact us at:
Accessibility contact:
Managing Editor
cristinasandru@litencyc.com
Postal address: The Literary Dictionary Company Ltd,
Registered Office: 242/ 242a Farnham Road, Slough SL1 4XE, United Kingdom
We will endeavour to respond within five working days.
