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data-testid="list-page-header-element"><h1 class="title--Swxn" data-testid="list-page-header-element">Accessibility Statement</h1><div class="description-IBN8e" data-testid="list-page-header-element"></div></div><article class="container-DpSBl staticPageBodyCopy-ByKJP"><section><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><p>This statement was created on March 25, 2024.</p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><h2>We’re committed to easy access for everyone</h2><p>Scientific American is committed to making our website as accessible as possible to everyone, including those with visual, hearing, cognitive and motor impairments. We're constantly working towards improving the accessibility of our website to ensure we provide equal access to all of our users.</p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><p>As part of our commitment to accessibility, we ensure that our website is compatible with: <ul><li>Recent versions of popular screen readers</li><li>Operating system screen magnifiers</li><li>Speech recognition software</li><li>Operating system speech packages</li></ul></p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><p>We make sure that our website follows accessibility best practices by following the principles of universal design. This ensures the site is flexible and adaptable to different users’ needs or preferences and is accessible through a variety of different technologies, including mobile devices or assistive technologies.</p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><p>During the development phase we endeavor to follow WebAIM’s <a href="http://webaim.org/intro/#principles">Principles of Accessible Design</a>, and also try to help improve the accessibility of our website for users with disabilities by: <ul><li>Retaining the ability to adjust the font size</li><li>Maintaining color/contrast ratios for text</li><li>Providing keyboard accessible navigation</li><li>Providing skip to content links at the top of the page</li><li>Exposing information to the accessibility API through the use of <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/aria.php">ARIA attributes</a></li></ul></p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><p>We also monitor the accessibility of ScientificAmerican.com through the internally maintained tool <a href="http://pa11y.org/">Pa11y</a>.</p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><h2>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1</h2><p>Wherever possible, the SceintificAmerican.com site will adhere to level AA of the <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2)</a>. These guidelines outline four main principles that state that sites should be: <ul><li>Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive</li><li>Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable</li><li>Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable</li><li>Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies</li></ul></p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><h2>Optimizing your set-up for your needs</h2><p>The <a href="https://mcmw.abilitynet.org.uk/">AbilityNet</a> website provides guidance to make your computer more accessible, enabling computer users to make the most of the internet whatever their ability or disability. It offers help with seeing the screen, using your keyboard and mouse, hearing sounds, and with reading and spelling.</p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><h2>Contacting us</h2><p>If you would like to request accessibility-related assistance, report any accessibility problems, or request any information in accessible alternative formats, please use the <a href="https://support.springernature.com/en/support/solutions/articles/6000264557-accessibility-queries-form">accessibility queries form</a> or email us at <a href="mailto:help@sciam.com">help@sciam.com</a>. Please be sure to include information about the browser, operating system, and assistive technology you’re using.</p></div><div class="a11ySection-YB17H"><p>To help us assist you with any issues you have, it is recommended that you read the WAI’s <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/users/inaccessible">Contacting Organisations about Inaccessible Websites</a>, and provide the information advised in your request.</p></div></section><br/></article></div></main><footer class="footer-VfsmT"><div class="footerContainer-pfbjC"><h2 class="footerMainText-wQ3og">Expand Your World with Science</h2></div><div class="footerFlexContainer-XKe5g footerContainer-pfbjC"><div class="footerLinks-m1THn"><p class="footerText-PzHcy">Learn and share the most exciting discoveries, innovations and ideas shaping our world today.</p><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/getsciam/">Subscribe</a><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/newsletters/">Sign up for our newsletters</a><a class="footerLink-uRzI4" href="/">See the 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