At QuaverEd, Inc. we recognize and value the diverse needs of every student. Our mission is to meet all users where they are, regardless of their learning style or access needs. We believe in providing multiple methods of interacting with content across our curricula for both students and teachers.
Ongoing Efforts to Ensure Accessible Content
QuaverEd, Inc. is committed to meeting the standards and requirements of the Federal government as described in Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. We are also dedicated to achieving and maintaining Level AA compliance with the Web Accessibility Guidelines [WCAG 2.2] as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C].
Features and Enhancements that Support Accessibility
Although Quaver resources are generally created to be presented by teachers to their students, WCAG guidelines help provide an accessible learning environment for all users. Our content already contains many features that support accessibility. These include:
Screen Controls
- Brightness/contrast controls are available from the system settings and will not be overridden by the program
- Start/Pause/Stop buttons are available for all time-sensitive content
- Volume controls are provided to increase the audio amplitude of different tracks
- Functionality controls are consistently named and located in the same place on every screen
- When a control is activated, there are visual and audio indications the action is being taken
Screen Layouts
- Plain language is used throughout the program
- Layouts are logically and consistently arranged
- Context and orientation language for the curriculum is provided in the Teacher Notes
- All icons and actionable buttons are large and accompanied by text, unless the control is a commonly-used standard, such as a triangle for a play button
- Color is not the sole determinant of required information
Video/Animations
- All videos with speaking audio have closed captioning
- Keywords are also highlighted in text in video episodes
- Animations that need explaining are also described in text
- Audio Descriptions or Time-Based Media Alternatives are available for all videos
- Sing-a-long Lyrics videos are compliant with contrast requirements for on-screen lyrics and highlighting
Audio/Music Tracks
- Lyrics are highlighted and synchronized in songs
- Visual Animations are provided
- Transcripts of audio instruction or other information are provided
Notifications
- All notifications of correct or incorrect answers are provided both aurally and textually
- Our design minimizes unintentional actions by the user
Flashing Objects
- No objects or animations will flash at a rate between 2Hz and 55Hz
Third-Party Services
QuaverEd is not responsible for accessibility compliance for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other third-party vendor.
Let’s Talk Accessibility
We encourage and welcome feedback from our customers. Let us know if you’ve encountered accessibility barriers or have suggestions or ideas on how we can improve. Contact our Customer Service Department at (866) 917-3633, Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Central, or by filling out a form here.
For more information, please see our accessibility FAQ’s below:
Accessibility FAQ
Overview
To be accessible means to remove barriers for people with disabilities. In order to make a web page or digital content accessible, it means making sure that the content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Accessible content is as consistent and equally available as non-accessible content. Users of QuaverEd curricula can identify content using their senses, access controls, buttons, navigation, and other interactive elements; comprehend our content; and use our content on many different devices (PC, Mac, Chromebook, mobile device, and more).
The term a11y stands for “accessibility.” It is a numeronym, with “11” representing the number of letters between the letter “a” and the letter “y” in the word “accessibility.” When read aloud, “a11y” is usually pronounced as “accessibility,” “A-one-one-Y,” or “A-eleven-Y.”
Yes! QuaverEd lessons are designed to be accessible for both students and educators. The accessible lessons include features such as printable transcripts, audio descriptions, and keyboard navigation for use by all QuaverEd users. Accordingly, all lesson screens have alternate versions able to be accessed from the Teacher Lesson Selection Menus, by QR code, or by shared link that are fully accessible.
Within a lesson, select the Accessibility Toggle at the top left of the lesson screen. This will trigger a pop-up, select OK, and it will load the accessible screen.
Compliance
Curricula
Functionality
- Computers:
- Windows: Use JAWS for best experience
- Mac: Use VoiceOver for best experience
- Chomebooks: Use ChromeVox for best experience
- Mobile devices:
- Apple: Use VoiceOver for best experience
- Android: Use TalkBack or Voice Assistant for best experience
Due to some of the technologies used to create QuaverEd’s interface and to get the best experience while using screen readers, there are some differences in how you will need to navigate the site. Modern assistive technologies are very advanced and will activate certain features when some elements pop up on the page or when a new window is opened. See the questions below to learn more about individual screen reader requirements.
JAWS users will need to turn off the PC Virtual Cursor while navigating the accessible lessons. To do this use the command Insert + Z. JAWS will turn the Virtual Cursor back on by default when the page is refreshed or a new tab or window is opened. If you’re having difficulty navigating, try using the command to turn it off again.
Accessible lessons are navigated using the TAB or SHIFT + TAB commands and interactive elements are activated using SPACE or ENTER.
This information is also displayed in the Accessibility Mode popup that is displayed when accessing an accessible lesson.
NVDA users will need to turn off Browse Mode while navigating the accessible lessons. To do this use the command Insert + SPACE. NVDA will turn Browse Mode back on by default when the page is refreshed or a new tab or window is opened. If you’re having difficulty navigating, try using the command to turn it off again.
Accessible lessons are navigated using the TAB or SHIFT + TAB commands and interactive elements are activated using SPACE or ENTER.
This information is also displayed in the Accessibility Mode popup that is displayed when accessing an accessible lesson.
VoiceOver users will need to turn off QuickNav while navigating the accessible lessons. To do this use the command LEFT ARROW + RIGHT ARROW. If you’re having difficulty navigating, try using the command to turn it off again.
Accessible lessons are navigated using the TAB or SHIFT + TAB commands and interactive elements are activated using SPACE or ENTER.
This information is also displayed in the Accessibility Mode popup that is displayed when accessing an accessible lesson.
ChromeVox users will need to turn off Sticky Mode while navigating the accessible lessons. To do this use the command LAUNCHER or SEARCH twice quickly. If you’re having difficulty navigating, try using the command to turn it off again.
Accessible lessons are navigated using the TAB or SHIFT + TAB commands and interactive elements are activated using SPACE or ENTER.
This information is also displayed in the Accessibility Mode popup that is displayed when accessing an accessible lesson.
Yes. In addition to striving for WCAG and Section 508 compliance, QuaverEd.com utilizes a plugin to make our site even more accessible by providing features that would otherwise not be available. Using the accessiBe plugin you can take your QuaverEd.com experience and customize it to make sure you get the most out of our content. By keyboard navigation or mouse clicking the Accessibility Icon floating in the bottom left corner of the window, you’ll open a variety of options to take control of your experience. There are preset profiles for users who would like to use accessibility profiles such as Seizure Safe, Vision Impairment, Keyboard Navigation profiles, and more. You can also adjust individual items such as sizing, scaling, magnification, color adjustments, and orientation within the plugin. We aim to make our site not only accessible but easy to use as well.
By default, Safari’s Tab key only jumps to links and form elements on a webpage. Option-Tab is Safari’s default method for keyboard navigation to take you to each item. The default can be switched by going to Safari’s Preferences > Advanced and selecting “Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage.” Changing this preference will reverse the default settings and you can Tab through each item.
Check to make sure you don’t have a pop-up blocker turned on. If you do, whitelist QuaverEd.com and refresh the site.
Yes! Each and every accessible lesson’s screen is quality tested using screen readers and other assistive technologies on multiple platforms, including computers and mobile devices.
Yes! Transcripts are available for all screens that include audio. For videos, the transcripts are included in Teacher Notes. For all other screens, printable transcripts are linked in the upper left corner of the lesson screen.
Our Spanish resources are not accessible at this time. If you switch to a Spanish Resource, Accessibility Mode will automatically turn off.
QBackBeat, QComposer, and QGrooves have all been rebuilt and are now accessible. They also now offer keyboard shortcuts that can be enabled in the Menu.
More accessible features will be added to the remaining Creatives by October 2025.
Yes! Converted playlist screens now have character key shortcuts available while tabbing through the screen. The “p” key will move focus to the player, the “i” key will move focus to the image related to the song, and the “s” key will move focus back to the currently selected track.