Our Commitment to Accessibility
America Edu is committed to ensuring that our Platform is accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. We believe that access to educational information — college searches, scholarship resources, school directories, and career guidance — is a right that should extend to every American regardless of ability.
Accessibility is not a feature we add as an afterthought. It is a core design principle integrated into how we build, test, and maintain the America Edu Platform. We are committed to ongoing improvement and welcome feedback from users who encounter barriers to access.
If you encounter any accessibility barrier on the America Edu Platform and cannot complete a task because of it, please contact us immediately at accessibility@america.edu. We will provide the information you need through an alternative accessible method within 2 business days.
Standards & Guidelines
America Edu designs and develops its Platform in accordance with the following internationally recognized accessibility standards:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA — published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and widely recognized as the global benchmark for web accessibility. WCAG 2.1 AA is also the standard referenced in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) web accessibility guidance and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act — federal accessibility standards applicable to electronic and information technology developed or procured by federal agencies, and widely adopted as a best-practice standard for all public-facing websites.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — Title III of the ADA requires that places of public accommodation, which courts have increasingly interpreted to include websites and digital services, provide equal access to people with disabilities.
We conduct accessibility evaluations using a combination of automated testing tools (including Axe, Lighthouse, and WAVE) and manual testing with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation. Our development team receives regular training on accessible design and coding practices.
Conformance Status
America Edu is currently partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Partial conformance means that some parts of the Platform do not fully conform to the standard. We are actively working to address all outstanding issues and aim to achieve full Level AA conformance by December 31, 2025.
| WCAG Principle | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Perceivable — Information and UI components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive | Substantially Conformant | All images include descriptive alt text. Color is not used as the sole means of conveying information. Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of functionality. Captions are provided for all new video content. |
| Operable — UI components and navigation must be operable | Partially Conformant | All functionality is accessible via keyboard. Skip navigation links are provided. Focus indicators are visible throughout the Platform. Some legacy interactive components (dropdown filters in college search) are being updated for improved keyboard operability. |
| Understandable — Information and operation must be understandable | Substantially Conformant | Page language is correctly set to English. Navigation is consistent across pages. Error messages are descriptive and identify the field in error. Form labels and instructions are clearly associated with their controls. |
| Robust — Content must be robust enough to be interpreted by assistive technologies | Partially Conformant | HTML is valid and semantic. ARIA landmarks and roles are used appropriately on most pages. Some third-party embedded content (maps, external data widgets) has known ARIA issues that we are in the process of addressing with our data providers. |
Accessibility Features of Our Platform
The America Edu Platform incorporates the following accessibility features throughout its design and functionality:
Keyboard Navigation
Every interactive element on the Platform — including navigation menus, search forms, college comparison tools, and scholarship search filters — can be accessed and operated using a keyboard alone, without requiring a mouse or touch input. Tab order is logical and follows the visual layout of each page.
Screen Reader Support
The Platform is tested with leading screen readers including NVDA (Windows), JAWS (Windows), VoiceOver (macOS and iOS), and TalkBack (Android). All images include descriptive alt attributes. Dynamic content updates are announced using ARIA live regions. Form fields are correctly labeled and associated with their instructions and error messages.
Sufficient Color Contrast
Text and interactive elements throughout the Platform meet or exceed the WCAG 2.1 AA minimum contrast ratio requirements: 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text and graphical elements. Color is never used as the sole means of conveying information — all data conveyed by color is also conveyed through text labels or patterns.
Resizable Text & Responsive Layout
Text on the Platform can be resized up to 200% using browser zoom controls without loss of content or functionality. The Platform uses responsive design to adapt to all screen sizes — from desktop monitors to mobile phones — ensuring usability regardless of device or viewport width.
Skip Navigation Links
A "Skip to main content" link is present at the top of every page and becomes visible when focused via keyboard navigation. This allows keyboard users and screen reader users to bypass repetitive navigation menus and jump directly to the primary content of each page.
Descriptive Page Titles & Headings
Every page on the Platform has a unique, descriptive title that identifies both the page content and the site name. Content is organized using a logical heading hierarchy (H1 through H4) that enables screen reader users to quickly understand the structure of each page and navigate between sections efficiently.
Assistive Technology Compatibility
America Edu tests our Platform with the following assistive technology and browser combinations on a quarterly basis:
- NVDA (latest version) with Mozilla Firefox on Windows 11
- JAWS (latest version) with Google Chrome on Windows 11
- VoiceOver with Safari on macOS Sonoma
- VoiceOver with Safari on iOS 17 (iPhone and iPad)
- TalkBack with Google Chrome on Android 14
- Windows Magnifier and macOS Zoom for low vision testing
- Dragon NaturallySpeaking for voice navigation testing
If you experience issues using the Platform with an assistive technology not listed above, please report it to our accessibility team at accessibility@america.edu so we can investigate and address it.
Known Limitations
Despite our best efforts, we are aware of the following accessibility limitations on our Platform. We are actively working to resolve all of these issues and will update this statement when they are addressed:
- College Search Filter Dropdowns: Some complex multi-select filter controls in the college and scholarship search tools have incomplete ARIA labeling that may affect screen reader users. We are rebuilding these components for full accessibility and expect to complete this work by Q3 2025.
- Embedded Map Content: Interactive maps used to display school and college locations are provided by a third-party service and have known keyboard navigation limitations. We provide a text-based alternative for all map-displayed information as a workaround while we work with our map provider on improvements.
- Legacy PDF Documents: Some older PDF documents linked from our resources section were not created with accessibility in mind and may not be fully compatible with screen readers. We are converting these documents to accessible HTML format on a rolling basis.
- Video Captions: A small number of older instructional videos hosted on the Platform do not yet have captions. We are adding captions to all existing video content by the end of 2025 and all new video content is captioned at the time of publication.
Third-Party Content
The America Edu Platform contains links to and some embedded content from third-party services including college and university websites, government databases, scholarship sponsor pages, and social media platforms. We do not control the accessibility of third-party content and cannot guarantee its conformance with WCAG 2.1 or other accessibility standards.
Where we embed third-party content directly within our pages, we make commercially reasonable efforts to ensure it meets our accessibility standards or to provide an accessible alternative. For linked content on external websites, we encourage you to use those sites' own accessibility feedback mechanisms to report issues.
Feedback & Reporting Accessibility Issues
We welcome feedback on the accessibility of the America Edu Platform from all users. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, cannot access content in a fully accessible way, or have a suggestion for how we can improve, please contact our dedicated Accessibility team:
Accessibility Team — America Edu
Email: accessibility@america.edu
Phone: 1-800-EDU-ACCS (1-800-338-2227) — TTY/TDD compatible
Mail: America Edu, Accessibility Office, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500
Response Time: We acknowledge all accessibility reports within 1 business day and provide a substantive response or workaround within 2 business days.
When contacting us about an accessibility issue, it is helpful to include: the URL of the page where you encountered the barrier, a description of the problem, the assistive technology you are using (if applicable), and your operating system and browser version. This information helps us reproduce and resolve the issue more quickly.
Formal Complaints
If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility feedback, you have the right to contact the relevant enforcement body for your jurisdiction. In the United States, you may file a complaint with:
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ): The DOJ enforces Title III of the ADA for places of public accommodation. Complaints may be filed at ada.gov/filing_complaint.htm
- U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR): The OCR enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act for programs receiving federal financial assistance. Complaints may be filed at ed.gov/ocr
We strongly prefer to resolve accessibility issues directly and promptly. Please contact us before pursuing a formal complaint so we have the opportunity to address your concern.
Contact Us
For all accessibility-related questions, requests, and reports:
Accessibility Team — America Edu
Email: accessibility@america.edu
Phone: 1-800-EDU-ACCS (TTY/TDD compatible)
This statement was last reviewed on May 1, 2025. We review and update this statement at least every 12 months or following any significant changes to the Platform.