This presentation was provided by Chandi Perera of Typefi during the NISO event, XML For Standards Publishing, held on Monday, April 24, 2017 in Washington DC.

1. Automation for print, online and mobile
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Accessibility in Publishing
Chandi Perera

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+ Introduction to accessibility
+ Why accessibility is important
+ Publishing standards on accessibility
+ Practical examples of accessible content
+ Q&A
Agenda

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+ Accessibility enables everyone—regardless of disability or special
needs—to read, hear, and interact with content.
+ The goal of accessibility is to create an inclusive society for people
with visual, auditory, physical, or cognitive disabilities.
+ Accessibility is best represented when its features are considered as
an important part of the design & development process.
What is accessibility?

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– Stevie Wonder (2016 Grammys)
“I just want to say, before saying the winner, that
we need to make every single thing accessible to
every single person with a disability.”

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+ Visual – blindness, low vision, color blindness,
photosensitive seizures
+ Auditory – deafness, hearing impairments
+ Physical – paralysis, tremors, repetitive strain injury (RSI),
muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, stroke
+ Cognitive – includes a diverse range of users who perceive and
process information differently or with greater difficulty
+ Some users may have multiple disabilities (e.g. a deaf-blind)
Accessibility is for the end user

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+ Almost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life,
and those who survive to old age will experience increasing difficulties in
functioning
+ 10% of the world's population, 650 million people live with some form of disability
+ About 65% of all people who are visually impaired are aged
50 and older including a affluent ageing population with
+ Over 50 age group comprises about 20% of the world's population ad is growing
+ Over 90% of all published materials cannot be read by blind or print-disabled
people – World Blind Union
+ Ethical duty for a publisher to make content accessible
+ Legal and regulatory requirement to make content accessible
Accessibility is important

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UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
“To promote the design, development, production and distribution of
accessible information and communications technologies and
systems at an early stage, so that these technologies and systems
become accessible at minimum cost.”
- Article 9, Accessibility
Accessibility is a human right

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+ Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD)
– Ratifications/Accessions:
173
– Signatories*: 160
+ Optional Protocol
– Ratification/Accessions: 92
– Signatories*: 92
Accessibility is a global standard

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+ Also known as Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to
Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and
Persons with Print Disabilities.
+ Is a treaty on copyright allowing for copyright exceptions
to facilitate the creation of accessible versions of books
and other copyrighted works for visually impaired
persons.
+ Eighty-eight countries signed the treaty and 26 countries
have ratified. Treaty came in to effect on 30 September
2016.
Marrakesh VIP Treaty

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+ Europe – European Accessibility Act
+ UK – Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
+ US – Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act, Americans with
Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and
Section 225 of the Telecommunications Act.
+ Australia – Disability Discrimination Act
National legislation

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What Makes a Document
Accessible?

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+ Coherent and consistent writing improves accessibility
+ Correct semantic structure
+ Alternative text for figures
+ Proper identification of language
+ Resizable text
+ Proper colour and contrast
Key accessibility features

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Accessible Formats

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+ Print
+ HTML
+ EPUB
+ DAISY
+ PDF/UA
Accessible formats

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+ The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) provides a set of
guidelines on how to design print publications for better accessibility.
+ Use high-contrast colours for text and background
+ Printed material is most readable in black and white
+ Keep your text large, preferably between 12 and 18 points depending
on the font
+ Avoid complicated or decorative fonts
+ Use a matte or non-glossy finish to cut down on glare
Print

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+ WCAG 2.0 defines 3 levels of compliance
+ Level A: For Level A conformance (the minimum level of
conformance), the Web page satisfies all the Level A Success Criteria,
or a conforming alternate version is provided.
+ Level AA: For Level AA conformance, the Web page satisfies all the
Level A and Level AA Success Criteria, or a Level AA conforming
alternate version is provided.
+ Level AAA: For Level AAA conformance, the Web page satisfies all
the Level A, Level AA and Level AAA Success Criteria, or a Level
AAA conforming alternate version is provided.
HTML

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+ Digital Accessible Information System
+ Developed, maintained and promoted
by the international DAISY Consortium
+ ANSI/NISO Z39.86 Specifications for
the Digital Talking Book
+ Does not preserve layout
+ Still widely used
+ DIASY 4 and EPUB 3 is the same
standard.
DAISY

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+ An EPUB file is a ZIP archive that contains a website including HTML
files, images, CSS style sheets, and other assets.
+ Read using a range of devices and programs
+ EPUB has been widely adopted as the format for eBooks
+ Accessibility has been built into the EPUB 3 standard
+ Harmonization between EPUB and DAISY standards
+ Many EPUB readers lack accessibility features
EPUB

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+ Also known as Tagged PDF or PDF/UA
+ The document structure is indicated by tags to allow screen readers
to successfully navigate the content on the document
+ Reading order is clear and easy to follow
+ Tables are used to create a tabular structure (not tabs or spaces)
+ Descriptive (alternative text) is available for all graphics and links
+ Preserves layout so people with or without a disability can read it
PDF/UA

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+ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 (1999)
+ Section 508 [of the US Rehabilitation Act] (1998)
+ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (2008)
(ISO/IEC 40500:2012)
+ ISO 14289-1:2014 – PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility)
+ Large Print & Clear Print Accessibility Guidelines
+ DAISY ANSI/NISO Z39.86
+ EPUB 3 (2014)
Standards on accessibility

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Implementing
Accessibility

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+ Decide on your level of conformance and make sure it is realistic
+ One single format cannot meet all your accessibility and usability
needs
+ Consider producing many outputs as long as it is at “at minimum
cost”
+ Some accessibility (A) is better than no accessibility
Conclusions

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+ Understanding WCAG 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/Overview.html
+ Understanding Conformance
http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/conformance.html
+ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-WCAG20-20060427/Overview.html
– Appendix B: Checklist (Non-Normative)
Additional information

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+ Clear Print Accessibility Guidelines – CNIB
http://www.cnib.ca/en/services/resources/Clearprint/Documents/CNIB%2
0Clear%20Print%20Guide.pdf
+ World Report on Disability
http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report/en/
+ Marrakech VIP Treaty
http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/marrakesh/
Additional information

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Q&A

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cperera@typefi.com