Latest accessibility updates
Enhancements for AM digital collections and Quartex customer sites
7 August 2025
Latest enhancements to published collections
We are continuing our commitment to our published collections with enhancements to Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975, by adding audio description tracks to all video footage in the collection. This exciting range of sources showcasing everyday life, cultural moments, and global events from the Huntley Film Archives will be updated in August 2025.
25 June, 2025
Quartex VPAT score increases by 17%
Over the last month, we’ve been working hard to evaluate the accessibility issues within the Quartex platform, in an effort to make meaningful changes. In a recently completed sprint dedicated to making accessibility improvements, we have resolved ten different accessibility issues. These fixes are now live!
These ten resolved issues have resulted in seven different accessibility criteria improving from ‘partially supported’ to ‘supported’ for the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). This has taken the VPAT score from 50% fully supported criteria up to 67% fully supported criteria, an increase of 17%.
You can find a full list of the accessibility improvements made in the updated VPAT.
25 June, 2025
Accessibility improvements to AV collections
We're pleased to share a significant accessibility update for our primary source audio-visual collections. As of June 2025, British Newsreels, 1911-1930 and Victorians on Film now include closed captions, time-coded transcripts and full audio description tracks, making over 175 hours of archival footage from the British Film Institute accessible to all users.
This enhancement opens up a wealth of historical context, commentary, and detail for all researchers, and particularly supports inclusive teaching and learning practices in film, media, and history programmes.
8 May 2025
Enhancing research and discoverability
The migration of East India Company to Quartex brings 95% accurate handwritten text recognition (HTR) to enhance this vital resource. As Bee Cassim, Senior Product Manager explains, this technology improves discoverability, search accuracy, and accessibility, enabling efficient transcription and navigation across millions of historical documents for diverse user needs.