VitalSource Accessibility (Engage)

VitalSource is the vendor product behind Engage, which offers electronic textbooks for courses at UW.

Last evaluated: 2/23/26

Get help

  • Contact the DoIT Help Desk for general assistance. Reach the Help Desk by phone at 608.264.4357, email at help@doit.wisc.edu or visit their KnowledgeBase.

  • For accessibility or usability assistance for VitalSource or Engage, please contact learnuwsupport@wisc.edu.

Additional resources

Test conditions

Device: MacBook Pro 16”

Operating system: Tahoe 26.3.1

Web browser: Chrome

Screen reader: VoiceOver

Elements evaluated

  • Section 1: Bookshelf and VitalSource website

  • Section 2: PDF within VitalSource (evaluating VitalSource frame, not the PDF itself)

  • Section 3: EPUB within VitalSource (evaluating the VitalSource frame, not the EPUB itself)

Evaluation results

Section 1: Bookshelf and VitalSource website

Color contrast barriers 

VitalSource accessibility page, which has orange text on a white background. Refer to Issues for more detail.

Issues: The orange text on a white background does not meet color contrast standards for WCAG 2.1 AA.

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

  • Provide sufficient contrast between content and its background, WCAG 1.4.3

Headings out of order

VitalSource accessibility page. Refer to issues for more information.

Issue: The headings on this page are unexpected and out of order.

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

Screen reader barrier

A modal open with a screen reader. Refer to issue for more detail.

Issue: I was able to access the “close” button of the popup with a screen reader, but there was no landmark or region telling me what I was closing. The text wasn’t associated with the close button in an obvious way. 

Expected behavior: I would expect to know I’m on a dialogue or popup as a blind screen reader user.

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

  • Web content appears and operates in predictable ways, WCAG 3.2

  • Forewarn users if their context will change based on their input, WCAG 3.2.2)

Section 2: PDF within VitalSource

Barrier: Keyboard focus color contrast barrier

Low color contrast on a modal close button. Refer to issue for more detail.

Issue: When navigating by keyboard, the focus indicator does not meet contrast standards for WCAG 2.1 AA at the close button.

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

  • Everything can be done with a keyboard, WCAG 2.1.1

  • Provide sufficient contrast between content and its background, WCAG 1.4.3)

Barrier: Color contrast 

Figure 5

Medium gray text on a light gray background. Refer to issue for more detail.

Issue: The medium gray text on light background doesn’t meet color contrast standards.

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

  • Provide sufficient contrast between content and its background, WCAG 1.4.3

Barrier: Screen reader barrier

The reader preferences modal. Refer to issue for more detail.

Issue: In keyboard navigation, when a user finishes the content of the Reader Preferences dialogue, the keyboard focus goes back to “close,” but in the screen reader experience, the tester got trapped. After a few retests, the tester was only able to exit by cycling backwards through the content of the dialogue. 

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

  • Web content appears and operates in predictable ways, WCAG 3.2

Barrier: Poor heading structure 

A book opened in the reader. Refer to Issue for more detail.

Issue: The title of the book is a heading level 3. The tester couldn’t find a heading level 1. 

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:

Section 3: EPUB within VitalSource

Barrier: Poor heading structure

A book open in vital source with a screen reader with a heading identified. Refer to issue for more detail.

Issue: In this image, the screen reader is reading the navigation through the chapters, starting at the top of the page with “VitalSource ePub3 Submission Guide.” As with the PDF reader, the heading structure on the frame is confusing, starting with an H3. 

This barrier primarily relates to the following accessibility guidelines:


Keywords:
eReader, eText, electronic text book, electronic textbook, electronic reader, text book, Engage, Unizin, etextbook, e-textbook, e-text 
Doc ID:
161361
Owned by:
Digital Accessibility Team in IT Accessibility and Usability
Created:
2026-05-18
Updated:
2026-05-19
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, IT Accessibility and Usability