OverDrive Accessibility Statement

OverDrive’s vision is to create “a world enlightened by reading” for everyone. This means providing a delightful, inclusive experience for all users.

This accessibility statement applies to OverDrive’s websites and mobile applications, including Libby and Sora.

Approach to accessibility

We design our websites and apps to support screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice control, and other assistive technologies. We aim to ensure that every interactive element is expressively labeled, described, logically arranged, and has a large enough tap (or click) target area.

Our products are built on web technologies, and we leverage the accessibility features of HTML, CSS, and WAI-ARIA. These web standards continue to evolve, and our products will evolve as they do.

Conformance status

OverDrive is committed to making its websites and apps accessible in accordance with relevant regulations, including but not limited to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.K. Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, and the EU Web Accessibility Directive [Directive (EU) 2016/2102].

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. OverDrive websites and apps are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. OverDrive’s goal is to comply with the applicable WCAG 2.2 Level AA Success Criteria across our websites and apps.

We are continually making enhancements to our products to achieve the highest possible level of compliance. We also continue to refine the usability of our products with assistive technologies through experience testing and evaluation.

Accessibility features

In the sections below, you can find highlights of the accessibility features available in our apps and on our websites.

Libby

  • Read From Here—an ebook reading interface tailored specifically to screen readers
  • Keyboard shortcuts for the ereader and audio player, including a Commands dialog that lists all possible commands and their shortcuts
  • Dynamic scaling of interface text, using the settings you have configured for the operating system or the browser
  • Configurable appearance settings for ebook pages, including text scaling, sepia and dark page styles, and typographic controls including the OpenDyslexic font, line spacing, text justification, boldface text weight
  • Zoom into pages in fixed-layout ebooks (like picture books) and magazines—up to 3.5x magnification
  • Playback speed controls for audiobooks—48 speed settings between 0.6x and 3x
  • Dark Mode support for operating systems or browsers that provide this option

Learn more about Libby’s accessibility features on Libby Help.

Sora

  • Read From Here—an ebook reading interface tailored specifically to screen readers
  • App-wide settings for high-contrast mode and to enable dyslexic font
  • Keyboard shortcuts for the ereader and audio player, including a Commands dialog that lists all possible commands and their shortcuts
  • Configurable appearance settings for ebook pages, including text scaling, sepia, high contrast, and dark page styles, and typographic controls including the OpenDyslexic font, line spacing, text justification, boldface text weight
  • Zoom into pages in fixed-layout ebooks (like picture books) and magazines—up to 3.5x magnification
  • Playback speed controls for audiobooks—48 speed settings between 0.6x and 3x

Learn more about Sora’s accessibility features on Sora Help.

OverDrive library websites

  • Read From Here—an ebook reading interface tailored specifically to screen readers—for the website’s built-in ereader
  • Site-wide settings for high-contrast mode and to enable dyslexic font
  • Keyboard shortcuts in the website’s built-in ereader and audio player, including a Commands dialog that lists all possible commands and their shortcuts
  • Configurable appearance settings for ebook pages, including text scaling, sepia and dark page styles, and typographic controls including the OpenDyslexic font, line spacing, text justification, boldface text weight
  • Zoom into pages in fixed-layout ebooks (like picture books) and magazines—up to 3.5x magnification—in the website’s built-in reader
  • Playback speed controls for audiobooks in the website’s built-in audio player

Screen readers we test with

Libby

  • Android TalkBack on Android 9+
  • VoiceOver on iOS 14+

Sora

  • Android TalkBack
  • ChromeVox
  • JAWS
  • NVDA
  • VoiceOver

OverDrive websites

  • Android TalkBack
  • JAWS
  • NVDA
  • VoiceOver

Non-accessible content

The following are known limitations for certain digital content types or OverDrive products:

  • Certain ebooks, like picture books, comics, and graphic novels don’t have settings to adjust font size, lighting, or book design.
  • The Read From Here feature may not be able to speak the text of picture books, comics, and some other titles, especially where that text is part of an image.
  • Audiobook content doesn’t permit speech-to-text functionality due to licensing restrictions from most supplying publishers.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on March 31, 2023. The statement was last reviewed on December 15, 2023.

We utilize the services of third parties, such as Fable and Level Access, to enable us to better learn, discover, test, and implement accessibility features.

Feedback and contact information

OverDrive welcomes your feedback on the accessibility of its services. If you have questions or encounter any accessibility barriers while using our services, please contact us:

Email: feedback@overdrive.com

Mail: Attn: User Feedback, OverDrive, Inc., One OverDrive Way, Cleveland, Ohio 44125 USA

Enforcement procedures

In the United Kingdom, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you are not happy with how we respond to your feedback, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

In the European Union, in the case of an unsatisfactory response to your feedback, contact the national enforcement body in your Member State.