ASPIRE, the verification service for accessibility statements in the publishing industry, has awarded JSTOR a Gold 100% ASPIRE score following a February 2026 review of its Accessibility at JSTOR webpage, statements, and other communications. 

ASPIRE’s independent review evaluates accessibility statements for clarity, completeness, transparency, and practical usefulness to users. In its 2026 assessment, ASPIRE confirmed that JSTOR’s statement achieved full marks across both Communication and Content Information categories, including discoverability, response times, DRM-free status, screen reader and text-to-speech compatibility, navigation, magnification and reflow, and color and contrast guidance.

The 2026 review follows JSTOR’s original 100% ASPIRE verification in 2021, and recognizes substantial redesign and development of the accessibility statement rather than simple maintenance. In their assessment they write, “Where the 2021 statement was strong, the 2026 statement is comprehensive and compelling. This demonstrates genuine ongoing investment in accessibility communication rather than static compliance. The statement serves as an excellent model of content and clarity for other platforms.”

ASPIRE highlighted several strengths, including JSTOR’s mission-driven framing of accessibility as fundamental to access, transparent auditing practices, clear documentation of reading options and DRM-free content, and defined turnaround times for accessible file requests.

The review also recognized JSTOR’s introduction of scalable accessibility solutions, including transcript generation through JSTOR Seeklight, and forthcoming on-demand remediation tools designed to address legacy backfile content. ASPIRE described this approach as a strong example of user-centered thinking within academic platform accessibility. In a recent blog post, Beth LaPensee, Director of Product Management for JSTOR wrote, “At JSTOR, our goal is simple: no matter which item someone needs—whether it’s new, old, or rarely used—they should be able to access, read, and use it when they need it.” JSTOR adheres to Section 508 and WCAG standards, and continues to invest in accessibility across its platform and services. Its accessibility page provides centralized documentation, including a current VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template), information about supported assistive technologies, and clearly stated response times for accessible content requests.

The ASPIRE Gold 100% rating reflects JSTOR’s ongoing investment in accessibility communication, platform design, and scalable solutions that support libraries, educators, and researchers worldwide.

Learn more about accessibility at JSTOR

Read a blog post detailing our efforts