Zendy’s Commitment to Accessibility: Progress Toward WCAG 2.2

Zendy’s mission is to make scholarly research accessible to all. We recognize that this commitment extends beyond access to content: it must also apply to the design of our AI solutions, including the Zendy AI-Powered Research Library and Zendy AI Discovery. Students and researchers who rely on keyboard navigation, screen readers, or magnification should be able to use these solutions fully and independently.

Over recent months, Zendy has undertaken a comprehensive program of accessibility improvements. This article outlines the improvements we have made, our ongoing work, and the steps we are taking to keep institutions and users informed.

Improvements completed

The following enhancements have been implemented across the Zendy homepage, our new pages, and related Zendy solutions, in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):

• Keyboard accessibility: all interactive elements can be accessed and operated using a keyboard alone, in a logical order and with a visible focus indicator.
• Screen reader compatibility: pages are structured with appropriate headings, labels, and landmarks, enabling assistive technologies to convey content accurately.
• Color contrast: text and interface elements meet the required contrast ratios, supporting users with low vision or color vision deficiencies.

Working toward WCAG 2.2

Both the Zendy AI-Powered Research Library and Zendy AI Discovery are compliant with WCAG 2.1, and we are now working toward WCAG 2.2. As part of this work, we are making further enhancements to magnification up to 400%, so that content reflows smoothly without loss of information or functionality. These enhancements focus on the AI Discovery and ZAIA conversation interfaces.

Relevance for institutions

Accessibility has become a key consideration in the selection of digital resources by academic institutions. Universities in the United States increasingly require evidence of WCAG conformance as part of their procurement processes.

Transparency and documentation

To support institutions in their assessments, Zendy will publish the following:

• An Accessibility Statement setting out our commitments, current conformance status, and any known limitations.
• A dedicated accessibility page consolidating the information required by procurement and accessibility teams.
• Technical documentation and testing details, available to institutions on request.

Our ongoing commitment

Accessibility is an ongoing responsibility. All future developments on the Zendy AI-Powered Research Library and Zendy AI Discovery will be designed and evaluated against recognized accessibility standards.

Institutions seeking accessibility documentation, or users wishing to report an accessibility barrier, are invited to contact us at hello@zendy.io.