| CARVIEW |
The accessibility of a publication is useful to know regardless of a person's abilities, as features such as the ability to make visual adjustments make for a better reading experience for everybody. These guidelines document a shared framework for presenting publication accessibility metadata declarations in a user-friendly manner — to offer the information to end users in a way that is easy to understand regardless of their technical knowledge and is consistent across different publications and different digital catalogs.
Introduction
Overview
Reading a digital publication is a very personal experience. For most people this is routine, and little consideration is given to how the title was obtained before it is read. Users may go to a bookstore or library, search for the title to purchase online, or have the title selected for them by an instructor for a class.
Now consider that the person is blind and relies on assistive technology. The user needs that technology to assist them in the purchase process as well as to read the e-book. The person may wonder: will the screen reader work with this title; are there image descriptions that will be spoken to describe these images; are there page numbers which are accessible; is the reading order correct so a caution will be announced before reading the paragraph which could be dangerous? All of these accessibility concerns are potential issues consumers have when trying to purchase and ultimately read a digital publication in any format.
The good news is more and more publishers are creating digital publications that are Born Accessible (i.e., accessible from the outset, not fixed later) and getting the accessibility validation or audit done by independent organizations.
These guidelines help those who wish to render accessibility metadata directly to users understand how to represent the accessibility claims inherent in machine-readable accessibility metadata in a user-friendly User Interface / User Experience (UI/UX). This document targets implementers such as bookstores, libraries, retailers, distributors etc. Content creators will benefit from reading these guidelines and are encouraged to follow EPUB Accessibility 1.1 Conformance and Discoverability Requirements section and its techniques.
This document presents high-level guidelines without going into technical issues related to the different metadata standards in the publishing industry.
Therefore, techniques are available that illustrate to developers how to retrieve data to show the information outlined in this document.
Metadata found either inside a digital publication or in a corresponding external record may have important accessibility claims that help end users find and determine if the publication can meet their specific accessibility needs.
This accessibility metadata uses controlled vocabularies to allow it to be extracted and displayed uniformly across different publications and localized to different user interface languages. The one exception is the accessibility summary, which allows accessibility statements that are unique to a publication and that adds information not covered by other metadata entries.
One important aspect is that the role of the Accessibility Summary metadata has changed in the latest version of the EPUB Accessibility specification, so a more in-depth analysis in the Accessibility summary section is recommended.
This document offers guidance on how to aggregate and display claims inherent in metadata to end users; these are not strict guidelines, but suggestions for providing a consistent experience for users through different portals. Different implementers may choose to implement these guidelines in a slightly different way. Some examples can be seen in the Implementations section of the document.
Metadata processing
The following diagram depicts how these guidelines relate to the format-specific techniques in the process of receiving and displaying accessibility metadata.
Work on integrating PDF and MARC is ongoing. The diagram and text of this section will be updated in future versions as the related documents are finalized.
The diagram categorizes two ways that metadata accompanies a publication. In the first are digital publication formats that directly embed accessibility metadata (EPUB and PDF). In the second are external metadata record formats (ONIX and MARC) that accompany a digital publication as it moves through the supply chain.
In some cases, a digital publication may include both internal and external metadata (e.g., an EPUB could have accessibility metadata in its package document and also be provided to a vendor with an ONIX record). In these cases, vendors and reading system developers determine for themselves which set of metadata they will use to display to users.
This guide assumes the metadata is already in one of the formats described in the diagram, but depending on how the metadata is submitted it may need to be transformed. For example, if a vendor prefers to handle only ONIX metadata for display Then they would need to preprocess the metadata embedded in an EPUB or PDF to create the ONIX.
The process of transforming metadata is not it scope for this document nor is how to reconcile metadata when it is provided in multiple forms. The guide assumes any processing has already occurred. For information on mapping between formats, refer to the Accessibility Properties Crosswalk.
The next level of the diagram depicts the encoding standards expected for each format. This guide assumes that the metadata conforms to a recognized standard, otherwise it would be difficult to anticipate and process the incoming information for users:
- For EPUB, the EPUB Accessibility standard [[epub-a11y-11]] defines required and recommended metadata for accessible publications. Guidance on applying this metadata is found in the EPUB Accessibility techniques [[epub-a11y-tech-11]].
- For ONIX, the accessibility characteristics of the corresponding digital publication are expressed using code lists [[onix]], and guidance on applying these values is defined in the application note Providing accessibility metadata in ONIX (advanced).
- For PDF, the PDF/UA standard [[iso14289-1]][[iso14289-2]] and Well-Tagged PDF guide define how to describe accessibility metadata.
Knowing how the metadata is encoded and how it is expressed, the next stage of processing is to use the algorithms defined in the respective techniques documents to discover and translate the information into human-readable statements. These documents are intended primarily for developers, to help them with the specific processing of the metadata markup grammars.
Finally, this document is shown at the last stage of processing, as it defines the purpose of each piece of metadata in more detail and prioritizes the display for readers.
Display techniques
To assist developers in implementing these guidelines, in-depth notes are available to explain how to extract information from publishing industry metadata standards.
At the time of publishing this document the available techniques for metadata standards are:
Publishers update their ONIX records as needed. We expect "unknown" accessibility metadata may be initially provided but may change as more information becomes available. For this reason, implementors should be prepared to update the accessibility metadata as new ONIX feeds are made available.
Terminology
There are several terms used in these guidelines that should be defined for clarity:
- digital publication
-
The term digital publication is used in this document to refer to publications produced in any number of digital formats. Digital publications are not limited to books, but encompass any written, visual, or audio work distributed and read in digital form.
Some examples of digital publications include ebooks, audiobooks, manga, comic books, journals, digital textbooks, picture books, and children's picture books with accompanying audio. The formats they come in include EPUB, PDF, and Digital Talking Books (DTB).
- dynamic braille
-
The term dynamic braille is used to denote content that is generated as braille on the fly, as opposed to preformatted digital braille formats. This dynamic rendering of content is sometimes referred to as electronic braille or refreshable braille.
Dynamic braille is typically rendered on a separate device from the [=reading system=], one with pop-up pins to present the braille on a tactile screen. These devices, commonly referred to as refreshable braille displays, can be attached to a personal computer, or they may be a self-contained multipurpose note taker with a refreshable braille display.
- read aloud speech
-
The term read aloud speech is used to denote content that is generated into synthetic speech on the fly, as opposed to prerecorded narration. Read aloud functionality is often a feature of [=reading systems=], but can be provided by a separate assistive technology.
- reading system
-
All [=digital publications=] require a reading system to present the publication to the end user. Reading Systems may be Apps that run on a smart phone or tablet. There are Reading Systems which are applications that run on personal computers. There are also Reading Systems that are integrated in to dedicated devices devoted to a single purpose, for presenting a publication. There are even skills that run on smart speakers that can be considered Reading Systems.
Metadata display
Accessibility section
Display heading
When presenting accessibility metadata provided by the publisher, it is suggested that the section is introduced using terms such as "claims" or "declarations" (e.g., "Accessibility Claims").
The heading should clearly convey to the end user that the information comes directly from the publisher and represents the accessibility information that the publisher intends to communicate.
Recommended display fields
There are several pieces of information that are central to describing the accessibility of a digital publication:
- People who need to adjust the visual presentation want to know if they can enlarge the text, which is essential for low vision users. People with dyslexia must be able to select the font and adjust the foreground, background, and line spacing and length. People with low vision or dyslexia represent the largest percentage of the print-disabled population.
- People who use a screen reader need to know if all the content in the title will be accessible to them. The text of the publication must be available for conversion to speech or braille. In addition, when images have text descriptions (alt text), indicating it in metadata will let users know that they will be not missing out on essential information. Blind users will greatly benefit from this information as will individuals who use the read aloud feature in reading systems.
- People who are selecting materials for public institutions such as libraries or schools need to know if the content conforms to accepted standards.
This is why these guidelines recommend that the following accessibility fields should be displayed:
- Ways of reading — specifically the visual adjustments and support for nonvisual reading statements
- Conformance
The other metadata fields provide additional details about specific features or shortcomings in a publication. They give people the information they need to make an informed choice when selecting a particular digital publication.
Display field order
Implementers can choose the order in which they prefer to display the accessibility metadata fields.
Moreover, although the metadata fields in this document are named, it is not required that implementers use these names as the field headings. Implementers can use alternative field names if they would make more sense in their display context.
Additional accessibility metadata
Although this document showcases examples of important metadata that is expected to be present in a wide range of publications, available metadata schemas can support statements about many other features.
The techniques documents describe how to output additional information not listed in this document. In addition, implementers may choose to display metadata that is not covered by this document or the techniques.
Missing metadata
When no accessibility metadata is provided by the publisher, it is best to avoid making a negative statement that could be attributed to them (e.g., stating it is not known if a feature is available could be misconstrued as the publisher saying they are unsure). The neutral statement "No information is available" is displayed for this case.
In some cases, the distributor may not be allowed to show statements the publisher did not make. Hiding such sections is acceptable in these cases.
Alternative statements
Although the display statements listed in this document and in the techniques documents are recommended for use, and have been translated to support localization, implementors may prefer to use different wording in some situations.
This document does not restrict implementers from using alternative phrasing, however any deviations should be done with caution. The phrases defined in this document resulted from much discussion among accessibility professionals as well as from user feedback.
If the cause of alternative wording is due to translation issues, implementers are encouraged to techniques documents for correction.
Non-accessibility metadata
Not all metadata used in determining the accessibility of a publication is strictly categorized as accessibility metadata. The product details, for example, provide important information about the usability of an ebook in relation to specific user needs.
In particular, the following information should always be displayed:
- File format (EPUB 2 or 3, PDF, MP3, Audiobook, etc.) — The file format gives a strong indication of accessibility: a PDF does not allow for typography modification, EPUB 2 is deprecated, an EPUB 3 support page navigation and better structural semantics; an MP3 format audiobook will be less structured than an Audiobook, etc.
- Protection measure or lack thereof — The protection measure may block assistive technologies such as screen readers. In addition, many specific eReading devices such as DAISY readers or Braille note takers are not equipped to read encrypted files.
- Name of the publishing house — The name of the publishing house can highlight the efforts it has made in terms of accessibility.
- Main language of the content — The main language of the content enables readers to be confident that they will be able to read with their Assistive Technology that uses synthesized voice or the corresponding braille translation table for the language.
This metadata does not have to be included as part of the accessibility section; it only needs to be made available to users in the metadata display for a publication.
Accessibility display fields
Ways of reading
This display field should be rendered even if there is no metadata.
The ways of reading display field is a banner heading that groups together the following information about how the content facilitates access:
- visual adjustments — whether users can control the text and page layout (e.g., to increase font sizes, line spacing, and foreground and background colors).
- nonvisual reading — whether all of the content of the publication is available as text, for playback using a reading system's read aloud functionality or via rendering as dynamic braille on a refreshable braille display.
- prerecorded audio — whether the publication includes prerecorded narration (audiobooks or text and audio synchronized publications) or embedded audio (standalone audio clips or audio tracks in a video).
This section is divided into subsections to explain each of the display outputs for each characteristic, but this separation is only for ease of reading. The subsections do not represent new display fields or have titles associated with them. All of the information is expected to be displayed under the "Ways of reading" title, as depicted in the ways of reading examples.
Visual adjustments
Indicates if users can modify the appearance of the text and the page layout according to the possibilities offered by the reading system.
These display strings answer whether visual adjustments are possible, not possible, or unknown.
Readers with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities need the ability to change the color of text and its background (contrast), the font family and font size used, as well as spacing between letters, words, sentences, or paragraphs.
Knowing that a publication can reflow to fit the reading system's display area is not sufficient to know that modifications to the font, spacing, and colors are possible or that the changes will not cause other readability issues (e.g., text being clipped by its container).
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for visual adjustment are as follows.
- If the display is modifiable:
-
Appearance can be modified
Appearance of the text and page layout can be modified according to the capabilities of the reading system (font family and font size, spaces between paragraphs, sentences, words, and letters, as well as color of background and text)
- If the display is not modifiable:
-
Appearance cannot be modified
Text and page layout cannot be modified as the reading experience is close to a print version, but reading systems can still provide zooming options
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information about appearance modifiability is available
No information about appearance modifiability is available
Display techniques for Visual adjustments support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Support for nonvisual reading
Indicates whether all content required for comprehension can be consumed in text and therefore is available to reading systems with [=read aloud speech=] or [=dynamic braille=] capabilities.
These display strings answers whether nonvisual reading is possible, not possible, or unknown.
Digital publications with essential content included in non-textual form (such as images, photographs, graphs, tables or equations presented as images, videos, etc.) must include textual alternatives to ensure that users reading with other senses than sight (mainly auditory and tactile) have access to the same information as visual readers. These textual alternatives can include alt text on images, extended descriptions, transcripts, captions, etc. depending on the nature of the nonvisual content.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for nonvisual reading are as follows.
- If all content is readable in text form:
-
Readable in read aloud or dynamic braille
All content can be read as read aloud speech or dynamic braille
- If not all content is readable in text form:
-
Not fully readable in read aloud or dynamic braille
Not all of the content will be readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille
- If the content cannot be read in text form:
-
Not readable in read aloud or dynamic braille
The content is not readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information about nonvisual reading is available
No information about nonvisual reading is available
- If text alternatives are provided:
-
Has alternative text
Has alternative text descriptions for images
Display techniques for support for nonvisual reading support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Prerecorded audio
The prerecorded audio display strings can be hidden if metadata is missing. Alternatively it can be stated that No information about prerecorded audio is available.
Indicates the presence of prerecorded audio and specifies if this audio is standalone (an audiobook), is an alternative to the text (synchronized text with audio playback), or is complementary audio (portions of audio, (e.g., reading of a poem).
Audiobooks created for mainstream use provide important access for many users with disabilities even though they are not accessible to all. As they grow in popularity, audiobooks may provide more accessibility options in the future.
Some publications provide prerecorded audio with text synchronization. Users with hearing impairments still can access the full content of these books.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for prerecorded audio are as follows.
- If the publication is a prerecorded audiobook:
-
Prerecorded audio only
Audiobook with no text alternative
- If there is prerecorded audio synchronized with text:
-
Prerecorded audio synchronized with text
All the content is available as prerecorded audio synchronized with text
- If there are prerecorded audio clips:
-
Prerecorded audio clips
Prerecorded audio clips are embedded in the content
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information about prerecorded audio is available
No information about prerecorded audio is available
Display techniques for prerecorded audio support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Examples
Conformance
This display field should be rendered even if there is no metadata.
Identifies whether the digital publication claims to meet internationally recognized conformance standards for accessibility.
Conformance metadata often uses terminology that most people will not understand, and therefore simple statements should be provided when EPUB accessibility and WCAG levels are identified.
If the publication does not include a conformance claim, the statement should indicate that no information is available.
In most cases, people will want to know more about the conformance and certification of the publication. The certifying organization should be identified along with their credentials and placed immediately after the conformance statement.
Display statements
Some conformance statements incorporate publication metadata. To indicate where this text will be inserted, the statements include placeholder variables. These placeholders are identified by being enclosed in angle brackets (e.g., <placeholder>).
Not all conformance statements have compact and descriptive forms. In these cases, the same string is used for both.
General conformance
- If the publication meets minimal accessibility requirements:
-
This publication meets minimum accessibility standards
The publication contains a conformance statement that it meets the EPUB Accessibility and WCAG 2 Level A standard
- If the publication meets widely accepted accessibility requirements:
-
This publication meets accepted accessibility standards
The publication contains a conformance statement that it meets the EPUB Accessibility and WCAG 2 Level AA standard
- If the publication exceeds accepted accessibility requirements:
-
This publication exceeds accepted accessibility standards
The publication contains a conformance statement that it meets the EPUB Accessibility and WCAG 2 Level AAA standard
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information is available
No information is available
- If a certifier name is provided:
-
The publication was certified by <certifier name>
- If the certifier has a credential:
-
The certifier's credential is <certifier credential>
If the certifier metadata value is a text-based badge or a credential, then only the text is displayed. If the badge or credential is expressed as a URL, then the URL can be made a link for users to access. The display of image logos or badges is typically arranged between the certifier and the distributor. The distributor would be responsible for identifying the certifier's text credential and replacing it with the image.
Detailed conformance
The following detailed information may be too technical for the average reader, which is why it is separated from the general conformance information. Implementors may opt to include it without distinction from the general information, but it may be more helpful to users if it is clearly separated, such as by including it in an expandable display box (see the conformance examples) or adding a heading before it. Implementors may also choose not to display this information if it is too technical for their target audience.
- If a detailed conformance claim is made:
-
This publication claims to meet EPUB Accessibility <1.X> WCAG <2.X> Level <A or AA or AAA>
This publication claims to meet EPUB Accessibility <1.X> Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) <2.X> Level <A or AA or AAA>
The placeholders in these strings allow the display of each version of the respective standard. For example, the descriptive statements for WCAG 2 would be:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
- If the certification date is provided:
-
The publication was certified on <certification date>
- If the certifier provides an accessibility report:
-
For more information refer to the certifier's report
Examples
Display techniques for conformance support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Navigation
This display field can be hidden if metadata is missing. Alternatively it can be stated that No information is available.
Identifies the navigation features included in the publication.
Navigating a digital publication through a table of contents, an index, by headings, or by go to page shortcuts is important to allow the user to easily access each part of the digital publication. These features are both essential for accessibility and important for all users reading publications. Therefore, clearly communicating to the user what navigation features are available in the publication is important to enable proper title selection.
Note that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.1 standard requires that more than one
way is available to locate a Web page within a set
of Web pages
(Success
Criterion 2.4.5 Multiple
Ways).
While not required if available, it may be helpful to identify the bibliographic information about the page break source identified in metadata of the digital publication. Having sufficient information to identify the print source would assure students and educators that the digital version they are using is correctly associated with the print version used in the classroom. The goal is to have the go to page function take the digital user to the same page as the print version user.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for navigation are as follows.
- If a table of contents is provided:
-
Table of contents
Table of contents to all chapters of the text via links
- If index(es) are provided:
-
Index
Index with links to referenced entries
- If structural navigation is provided:
-
Headings
Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
- If page navigation is provided:
-
Go to page
Page list to go to pages from the print source version
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information is available
No information is available
Examples
Display techniques for navigation support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Rich content
This group should be displayed only if the metadata indicates the presence of accessible math, accessible chemical formulas, extended descriptions, captions or transcriptions for videos, or transcripts of audio within the title, otherwise it can be hidden. Alternatively it can be stated that No information is available
Indicates the presence of math, chemical formulas, extended descriptions for information rich images, e.g., charts, diagrams, figures, graphs, and whether these are in an accessible format or available in an alternative form, e.g., whether math and chemical formulas are navigable with assistive technologies, or whether extended descriptions are available for information-rich images. In addition, it indicates the presence of videos and if closed captions, open captions, or transcripts for prerecorded audio are available.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for rich content are as follows.
- If math is marked up in MathML:
-
Math as MathML
Math formulas in accessible format (MathML)
- If math is marked up in LaTeX:
-
Math as LaTeX
Math formulas in accessible format (LaTeX)
- If math equations are described:
-
Text descriptions of math are provided
Text descriptions of math are provided
- If chemical formulas are marked up in MathML:
-
Chemical formulas in MathML
Chemical formulas in accessible format (MathML)
- If chemical formulas are marked up in LaTeX:
-
Chemical formulas in LaTeX
Chemical formulas in accessible format (LaTeX)
- If extended descriptions are provided for images:
-
Information-rich images are described by extended descriptions
Information-rich images are described by extended descriptions
- If closed captions are provided for videos:
-
Videos have closed captions
Videos included in publications have closed captions
- If open captions are provided for videos:
-
Videos have open captions
Videos included in publications have open captions
- If transcripts are provided for auditory content:
-
Transcript(s) provided
Transcript(s) provided
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information is available
No information is available
Examples
Display techniques for rich content support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Hazards
This display field can be hidden if metadata is missing. Alternatively it can be stated that No information is available
Identifies any potential hazards (e.g., flashing elements, sounds, and motion simulation) that could afflict physiologically sensitive users.
Research has not identified a source for clarification on what constitutes a sound hazard in digital publications. When a best practice is available, it will be included in these guidelines. It is left to the discretion of the publisher on what to include in the metadata. If there is a possible sound hazard,one option is to add information in the accessibility summary.
Unlike other accessibility properties, the presence of hazards can be expressed either positively or negatively. This is because users search for content that is safe for them as well as want to know when content is potentially dangerous to them.
The hazards property vocabulary includes a value of unknown, which means the content creator of the metadata explicitly acknowledges that the resource has not been checked for hazards. This is different than providing no metadata for this property.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for hazards are as follows.
- If there are no hazards:
-
No hazards
The publication contains no hazards
- If hazards are not known:
-
The presence of hazards is unknown
The presence of hazards is unknown
- If there is a flashing hazard:
-
Flashing content
The publication contains flashing content that can cause photosensitive seizures
- If there is no flashing hazard:
-
No flashing hazards
The publication does not contain flashing content that can cause photosensitive seizures
- If a flashing hazard is not known:
-
Flashing hazards not known
The presence of flashing content that can cause photosensitive seizures could not be determined
- If there is a motion simulation hazard:
-
Motion simulation
The publication contains motion simulations that can cause motion sickness
- If there is no motion simulation hazard:
-
No motion simulation hazards
The publication does not contain motion simulations that can cause motion sickness
- If a motion simulation hazard is not known:
-
Motion simulation hazards not known
The presence of motion simulations that can cause motion sickness could not be determined
- If there is a sound hazard:
-
Sounds
The publication contains sounds that can cause sensitivity issues
- If there is no sound hazard:
-
No sound hazards
The publication does not contain sounds that can cause sensitivity issues
- If a sound hazard is not known:
-
Sound hazards not known
The presence of sounds that can cause sensitivity issues could not be determined
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information is available
No information is available
Examples
Display techniques for hazards reporting
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Accessibility summary
This display field can be hidden if metadata is missing. Alternatively it can be stated that No information is available
The accessibility summary was intended (in EPUB Accessibility 1.0) to describe in human-readable prose the accessibility features present in the publication as well as any shortcomings. Starting with EPUB Accessibility version 1.1 the accessibility summary became a human-readable summary of the accessibility that complements, but does not duplicate, the other discoverability metadata.
It is a free-form field that allows authors to add additional information to the accessible properties of the resource.
Due to its nature, no specific processing of the content is required; it is sufficient to extract the text from the metadata and display it to end users.
Examples
Display techniques for accessibility summary support
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Legal considerations
This display field should be hidden if metadata is not present .
In some jurisdictions publishers may be able to claim an exemption from the provision of accessible publications, including the provision of accessibility metadata. This should always be subject to clarification by legal counsel for each jurisdiction. One example of this, at time of writing, is from the European Accessibility Act (EAA) when the publisher is a micro-enterprise (i.e., enterprises employing fewer than 10 people and with annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding 2 million euro).
Other legal considerations currently included in the EAA may include exceptions on individual versions of a title, where jurisdiction will not require the title to be accessible if it involves a fundamental alteration of the content, or if making it accessible would place a disproportionate burden on the publisher. (This may vary in other jurisdictions).
Publishers may need to include information about an exemption or exception in metadata for legal or clarity reasons, either to bodies that enforce legislation or for other business to business communication. However this is not information that needs to be displayed on public sites as it does not mean anything to most consumers and could lead to misunderstandings. Nevertheless, the objective is to provide as much accessibility information as possible.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for legal exemptions are as follows.
In many cases no legal exception or exemption information will be presented. The following example is provided as a possible explanation when legal exception or exemption information needs to be presented.
- If the publication claims an exemption:
-
Claims an accessibility exemption in some jurisdictions
This publication claims an accessibility exemption in some jurisdictions
- If no metadata is provided:
-
No information is available
No information is available
Examples
Display techniques for legal considerations
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Additional accessibility information
This display field can be hidden if metadata is missing.
This section lists additional metadata that can help users better understand the accessibility characteristics of digital publications. These are for metadata that do not fit into the other categories or are rarely used in trade publishing.
Additional accessibility information includes a wide range of information related to the publication's content.
Display statements
The descriptive and compact statements for additional information are as follows.
- If there are ARIA roles:
-
ARIA roles included
Content is enhanced with ARIA roles to optimize organization and facilitate navigation
- If there are page break markers:
-
Page breaks included
Page breaks included from the original print source
- If there are tactile graphics:
-
Tactile graphics included
Tactile graphics have been integrated to facilitate access to visual elements for blind people
Examples
Display techniques for additional accessibility information
Specific techniques for meeting this principle are defined in the following documents:
Discovering accessible content
The guidelines for presenting accessibility metadata detailed in this document are intended to improve the user experience when readers browse the catalogue entry for a publication. However, accessibility metadata also has a vital role to play in helping readers discover publications that are accessible to them.
Publication providers, such as vendors and libraries create searching and filtering tools that interpret accessibility metadata to aid in discovery. The set and variety of filters depend on the public they address and the type of book they propose.
User feedback indicates that in the absence of specific accessibility filters, they find product details like file format and protection measures (e.g., digital rights management) crucial information in determining usability.
Taking into consideration those realities, the following sections propose a minimum and an extended set for filtering options. Mostly any specific information could be added if considered of use for the public of the platform.
Minimum filtering set
Reading systems, commerce, and distribution platforms will typically have specific filtering options; having uniformity for key aspects and providing guidance for a standardized approach can help the discovery process for users searching for relevant titles. Accomplishing this, however, should not prevent users with specific reading needs from finding books they are looking for. To achieve this goal, it is recommended that all platforms present two minimum capabilities, centered around the ways of consuming the content. These are:
- Titles that support visual adjustments
- Titles that support nonvisual reading
Of note, only the positive values should be used.
It is recommended to filter on the original accessibility metadata values. The strings presented to the user for filtering may draw from the user-facing strings.
Extended filtering set
In specific domains, the addition of other options will be important to help users find content that responds to a particular need or scenario. Each domain case would drive the selection of appropriate items. Some examples of these domains (not exclusive) are:
- In an academic context, the presence of printed page numbers may be crucial to make sure the reader will be able to find or make a citation.
- In a technical or scientific context, information about access rich content like charts, diagrams, figures, graphs, math, and chemical formulas will be important.
- In markets where compliance to legislation is required, understanding conformance information may be mandatory.
- Platforms dedicated to selling children's books and interactive content may want to allow users to select books with no hazards or inform them about the presence of prerecorded audio.
Localization
An ebook can be purchased in any country and be made available through a distributor or a library. Readers want consistent display of accessibility information that spans multiple languages, and that’s the primary role of this display guide. The wording of information provided to users proposed in this guide has been widely discussed by a large group representing different people in the English-speaking language group. The language has been improved after proof-of-concept translations and reviewed by panels of testers in several countries.
It is understood that different countries or different target audience services may want to use specific language, and we have provided flexibility in the guide to accommodate this requirement. Simply translating the strings is not enough; the subtle meaning of the words and phrases of accessibility concepts must be localized for maximum understanding. Therefore, a mechanism is being provided for the publishing community to collaboratively deliver translations that localizes the strings for equally effective communication in any language. It is hoped that the localization area will become the defacto hub for development and distribution of language packs for each language and regional variation.
Implementations
These guidelines provide a general framework and make suggestions on the display of accessibility metadata. It is not a normative description of what must be done. It is instructive to provide examples of implementations from the community.
The Publishing Community Group has created a web page that captures examples from web sites belonging to organizations that have agreed to showcase the work they have done to display accessibility metadata.
Change log
This section identifies substantive changes between versions. For a list of all changes, refer to the issue tracker.
Changes since the 2025-02-20 Draft Community Group Report
- 10-apr-2025: Removed the categories in the Additional information section.
- 06-apr-2025: Modified the localization section. Simplifies the description and provide link to the working area for localizations.
- 01-apr-2025: Made language improvements in the implementation section.Put the change log in the correct order.
- 29-Mar-2025: Fixed language describing accessible rich content. See issue 671.
- 29-Mar-2025: Fixed example 12 that was using incorrect strings for filtering. See issue 673.
- 29-Mar-2025: Revised Implementation section to point to an external page rather than embedding static images of examples.
- 18-Mar-2025: Fixed a typo in the descriptive statement for unknown hazards. See issue 674.
- 03-Mar-2025: Added outputs for situations where there is a mix of hazard, no hazard, and unknown hazard statements. See issue 587.
- 28-Feb-2025: Fixed missing space at the end of the
conformance-certifierstring.