Accessibility in Ebooks: Some Resources

  • Sumo

In an attempt to make my work a little easier, I have a file that I update frequently with links and resources about ebook accessibility. I share it here with you but on the explicit premise that if you have resources to add, you will let me know. (In the comments or on Twitter: @LauraB7.) If you are still confused about why you should spend time and energy creating accessible ebooks, I refer you back to this article.

  1. If reading the specification is your particular kind of thing, it is openly available. Keep it bookmarked for reference purposes.
    http://www.idpf.org/epub/a11y/accessibility.html
  2. Any ebook accessibility work should start with the BISG Quick Start Guide, which also has a phenomenal resources listing at the back. Bonus: it is a fully accessible EPUB which you can open up to see (and crib) code samples.
    http://bisg.org/news/297929/The-BISG-Quick-Start-Guide-to-Accessible-Publishing-Moving-Inclusion-Forward.htm
  3. The Diagram Center has a great list of tips for creating accessible EPUBs
    http://diagramcenter.org/54-9-tips-for-creating-accessible-epub-3-files.html
  4. Need to write image descriptions but aren’t sure about language, tone, and detail? This is the place to start. It will hold your hand through the process and your books will be stronger for it.
    https://diagram.herokuapp.com/training/
  5. Matt Garrish’s Accessible EPUB 3 is full of details on how and why. It should be read at the start of any a11y journey.
    http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920025283.do
  6. This article is not directly on accessibility in ebooks, but it’s message of creating content that is flexible for all kinds of displays and readers and kinds of reading is salient. Read it!
    https://karenmcgrane.com/2014/10/15/content-in-a-zombie-apocalypse/
  7. Who doesn’t long for code sample they can copy when they are in the middle of something complex? The ever helpful Diagram Center has a sample book which you can download and open up. So useful!
    http://diagramcenter.org/standards-and-practices/accessible-image-sample-book.html
  8. The DAISY organization (Digital Accessible Information SYstem) is a hub for news, developments, resources, and even tools and services. I could get lost on their website, if I’m not careful.
    http://www.daisy.org/
  9. And the more practical place to look for DAISY-curated information aimed at, say, a developer audience can be found on Inclusive Publishing.
    https://inclusivepublishing.org/
  10. Need alt text for math content? The MathML Cloud from Benetech has your back.
    http://mathmlcloud.org
  11. Ask any a11y professional and they’ll tell you that you need to be paying a lost more attention to your metadata. This website will help.
    http://www.a11ymetadata.org/
  12. Finally, Benetech’s Born Accessible website is another clearing house for information and resources.
    https://benetech.org/our-work/born-accessible/

What did I miss? Please let me know!

 

2 Responses to “Accessibility in Ebooks: Some Resources”

  1. Nirmal says:

    Thanks a lot for beautiful compilation but it completely misses the accessible maths book production. Please include a few more articles on making accessible mathematics books.