ICPSR Accessibility and Security Center
ICPSR Accessibility & Security Statement
ICPSR is committed to accessibility, inclusion, and equitable access, recognizing these principles as essential to advancing high-quality, representative social and behavioral science. The Consortium supports the FAIR Principles to ensure research data are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable through established standards, metadata, and secure infrastructure. ICPSR also maintains robust and evolving security practices to safeguard research subjects, data users, and its institutional systems.
Data are made as open as possible while ICPSR continuously develops and maintains security programs to protect privacy and ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its systems, its data, and its users.
Digital Accessibility Compliance and Documentation
- ICPSR web pages comply with the U.S. Government’s Section 508 Standards for web-based intranet and internet information and applications, and with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, level AA. Download our ICPSR Accessibility Conformance Report (VPAT®) (doc 147K).
- ICPSR web pages are continually tested and updated using testing/monitoring tools (Siteimprove), and manual testing with and without a screen reader (VoiceOver), site magnification, and source code examination.
Security Certifications
ICPSR maintains a robust, independently validated security and trust posture through multiple recognized certifications and assessments that reflect the sensitivity and importance of the data it stewards. These include federal-level system authorization under FISMA Moderate, participation in NSF’s Trusted CI program with top-tier assessment results, and ongoing CoreTrustSeal certification as a trusted digital repository.
FISMA Moderate
Because ICPSR holds data under federal contracts with strict data protection requirements, ICPSR’s systems have been formally assessed against the NIST 800-53 Revision 5 standard at the Moderate level and have been granted Authority to Operate letters at the FISMA Moderate level by multiple federal agencies. This is an ongoing process which requires review and re-assessment every three years to ensure that we are still in compliance.
Trusted CI
Trusted CI (Trusted Cyberinfrastructure) is an NSF program that helps NSF research cyberinfrastructure projects establish and improve robust cybersecurity programs. ICPSR participated in the Trusted CI Framework Cohort engagement and assessment in 2024, with a very strong result: we were assessed at the highest level (Optimizing) in three areas and the next highest (Implementing) in the remaining thirteen.
CoreTrustSeal
ICPSR is a CoreTrustSeal core certified repository, with the latest recertification completed in 2024. CoreTrustSeal certifies data repositories as trustworthy based on a detailed assessment. ICPSR has been certified by the CoreTrustSeal organization.
Accessibility Roadmap
ICPSR is considered a “public entity” covered under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requiring our websites, mobile applications, and digital content to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. Due to the nature and size of ICPSR’s digital holdings, accessibility work for its website (complete), recorded content (in progress), and data holdings (in progress) is underway. ICPSR’s Accessibility Roadmap is expected to be posted in mid- to late-February 2026.
Contact ICPSR Regarding Accessibility & Security
Our site and digital content are constantly changing. If you are having any problems accessing information on the ICPSR website, or if you have suggestions for improving our accessibility or security, email us at icpsr-help@umich.edu.
View other ICPSR policies and certifications.
Updated: January 26, 2026