Standards

Definitions, certified standards, working groups

Description of accessibility features of Apache FOP.  Defines accessibility in the context of electronic documents for the USA and other countries with similar requirements.  Accessibility features are available only for the  PDF output format, and there are some implementation limitations. Certain actions must be undertaken by the content creator to ensure the FOP can create a truly accessible document.

Benetech’s GCA certification site of services is the first-ever independent third-party digital accessibility certification and approval program.

The Benetech Approved Publishing Tools (BAPT) process follows these recognized standards and guidelines as appropriate:

Formed in 1996, Daisy Consortium is a global consortium aiming to contribute expertise in standards working groups, developing guidelines and open standards.

Training – Trainer-led or self-study learning courses

New Accessibility Metadata Guidance

EDItEUR is the international group coordinating development of the standards infrastructure for electronic commerce in the book, e-book and serials sectors.

The ITI Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (ITI VPAT®) is a free template that translates accessibility requirements and standards (e.g., in Section 508 and other legal frameworks) into actionable testing criteria for products and services. Users should test their products and services against each section of the VPAT and use the template to document results. Once completed, the VPAT® with documented testing results is referred to as an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) that details the accessible features of the tested product or service.

The VPAT is offered free of charge. Membership in ITI is not required to use the VPAT. Please note, however, that the VPAT name and report form are ITI registered service marks, and should not be altered without the express written permission of ITI. Also, the notation ® should be used in conjunction with the name and report in accordance with established guidelines.

PDF and EPUBAccessibility

National Information Standards Organization (NISO)

Accessibility Conformance Report/Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) FAQ

Marrakesh Treaty

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled presents an unprecedented opportunity for access to printed works for blind and other print-handicapped persons. Libraries play a key role in facilitating access, and this guide was conceived to enable staff in libraries of all types to take the final, practical steps to deliver materials into the hands of print-disabled readers.

The information in this guide is organized as an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), answering questions and providing links for further information. It is meant to be a starting point, a template, available for customization in each Marrakesh Treaty country. It is our hope that, once the guide is customized to each country’s law, it will be posted on the IFLA website.

MARC Standards – Library of Congress – Network Development and MARC Standards Office.  The MARC formats are standards for the representation and communication of bibliographic and related information in machine-readable form.

NISO‘s best practice guideline for journals accessibility metadata 

PDF/UA

The PDF/UA standard – formally known as ISO 14289-1 – is designed to ensure that PDFs are universally accessible. Aimed at everyone involved in creating PDFs, it sets minimum requirements that make sure documents are compliant with devices that support people with disabilities.

What is a PDF/UA standard?

At first glance, a PDF/UA may look the same as the traditional PDF format you’re probably already familiar with. However, it contains some crucial differences. The PDF/UA standard was designed so that users with disabilities can use the same files and get the same level of value from them.

What does PDF/UA stand for?

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. UA stands for universal accessibility, a reference to its set of requirements that make PDF documents accessible to all users.

What is PDF/UA used for?

PDF/UA files essentially carry out the same role as standard PDF files. However, a key difference is that documents that follow the PDF/UA guidelines are accessible to all.

PDF/UA files require the information on their pages to be tagged so assistive technology can determine what to share and what to omit. While everything on a PDF page is included for a reason, some elements – such as decorative borders – may be less important than others. The PDF/UA format also allows users to create structure trees out of tags so that assistive programmes know in which order to read information.

Advantages of the PDF/UA format

  • Universal accessibility. As we’ve already covered, the PDF/UA standard defines a set of requirements that guarantees a PDF is compatible with assistive technology. This then ensures disabled users are able to access the information contained within the document. Examples include compatibility with screen readers for blind or partially sighted users, speech recognition software and eye tracking systems.
  • Helps creators to build accessible documents. As part of the drive to create accessible documents, the creators of the PDF/UA standard realised it was essential that document creators should be able to understand what’s required of them. The effective tagging process makes it easier for document creators to build an accessible version of their documents.

Purpose: WCAG is a set of global guidelines established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

Impact on Publishing: Publishers that produce digital content, particularly ebooks and websites, are encouraged to follow WCAG guidelines. Compliance with WCAG, especially WCAG 2.1, ensures that digital books and online resources are accessible to users with disabilities through measures like text alternatives for non-text content, keyboard accessibility, and readable text.

Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C)

U.S. Department of Justice Fact Sheet

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