Understanding Accessibility Metadata in Digital Publishing: A Guide for Students and Educators

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What is Accessibility Metadata?

A traditional compass atop a newspaper article full of data indicating guidance

In the world of digital publications, “metadata” refers to information about content that makes up a publication. For books and other educational resources, this includes basic information like title, author, and ISBN. Accessibility metadata is a crucial subset of this information, specifically describing a publication’s accessibility features and limitations. It’s essentially a set of labels that details how a digital resource can be used by individuals with disabilities and what assistive technologies it supports.

The widespread adoption of accessibility metadata by publishers is growing, driven by evolving digital accessibility regulations in the mainstream, commitments to inclusive education, and acceptance of the “Accessibility Metadata Display Guide for Digital Publications .” Accessibility metadata can describe content that is ‘born accessible’—designed from the start to meet the needs of all learners.

How Publishers Provide and Distribute Metadata

Publishers are increasingly embedding and providing accessibility information alongside their digital content. A common industry standard for communicating book metadata, including accessibility details, is ONIX (ONline Information EXchange).

Distribution channels play a vital role in making this information available to users. Platforms like VitalSource, a leading educational content platform, actively incorporate and display accessibility metadata. When publishers submit their digital content, VitalSource searches for and presents this accessibility data on product pages within its store. This transparency allows purchasers to make informed decisions about the accessibility of the products they acquire.

Many publishers are now using standardized workflows to submit comprehensive accessibility data, ensuring that features, potential hazards, and certifications are clearly communicated to distribution partners and, ultimately, to end-users.

Key Accessibility Metadata Items

It is important to emphasize that accessibility metadata comes from the publisher and identifies the accessibility claims made by the publisher about their content. The overall accessible reading experience will depend on the reading system used to present the content, e.g., Both the content and the reading system must support selection of font size for the text to be displayed in a larger font.

Key pieces of accessibility metadata provide critical insights into a publication’s usability. Some important items include:

  • Visual Adjustments: Indicates whether the text and page layout can be modified by the user (e.g., changing font size, typeface, line height, word spacing, colors, and reflowing content). This is essential for readers with low vision, dyslexia, or cognitive disabilities.
  • Support for Nonvisual Reading: Specifies if all content essential for comprehension can be consumed in text form, making it available to screen readers, dynamic braille displays, or text-to-speech devices. This includes information about:
    • Alt Text for Images: Descriptive text for images, crucial for users who cannot see the images.
    • Captions/Subtitles: For audio and video content, benefiting deaf or hard-of-hearing readers.
    • Transcripts: Text alternatives for audio-only content.
  • Navigation: Details the presence and usability of features like a fully accessible table of contents, in-book navigation, logical reading order, and print-equivalent page numbers.
  • Hazards: Alerts users to potential accessibility risks within the content, such as flashing lights (which could trigger seizures), motion simulations, or uncomfortable sounds.
  • Conformance and Certification: States whether the publication adheres to recognized accessibility standards, such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 AA, or if it has received third-party certifications like Global Certified Accessible (GCA) from Benetech or approval through the LIA Foundation program.
  • Access Modes: Describes the primary ways information is encoded in the resource (e.g., auditory, textual, visual) and which combinations of these modes are sufficient to understand the content fully.
  • File Format : Information about the digital file format (e.g., EPUB 3, PDF.
  • Language Tagging: Helps screen readers pronounce text correctly by identifying the main language of the content.

Empowering Persons with Disabilties to Identify Useable Titles

For individuals with disabilities, accessibility metadata is an invaluable tool for making informed choices about digital content. Before purchasing or accessing a title, they can review the metadata to determine if it aligns with their specific accessibility needs and the capabilities of their assistive technology. For instance, a user relying on a screen reader can check if a book has proper semantic markup, alternative text for images, and a logical reading order. Someone with a visual impairment can verify if the text can be reflowed and if color contrast adjustments are supported.

This transparency enables users to avoid content that might pose barriers, saving them time and frustration, and ensuring they can engage effectively with their learning materials.

Examples of Descriptive and Compact Accessibility Statements

When deciding on how to best present accessibility metadata, website developers have options available to them that can align with the look and feel of their website. The “Accessibility Metadata Display Guide for Digital Publications” were developed to be flexible and define a descriptive collection of statements and a compact set that communicates the same information in a brief way. The suggested statements have been developed and published for worldwide adoption. At the time of this publication, more than thirty language translations have been made openly available .

Descriptive Statements

This example shows descriptive statements that would commonly be displayed for a highly accessible title.

Ways of Reading

  • 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).
  • All content can be read as read aloud speech or dynamic braille.
  • Has alternative text descriptions for images.
    • No information about prerecorded audio is available.

Conformance

  • The publication contains a conformance statement that it meets the EPUB Accessibility and WCAG 2 Level AA standard.
  • The publication was certified by Benetech.
  • The certifier’s credential is Benetech Global Certified Accessible
Detailed Conformance Information

This publication claims to meet EPUB Accessibility 1.0 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA.

Navigation

  • Table of contents to all chapters of the text via links
  • Index with links to referenced entries
  • Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation

Rich Content

  • Math as MathML

Hazards

  • The publication contains no hazards

Accessibility Summary

This title strives to conform to WCAG 2.1 at the AA level. Some images may appear on pages different from the print version. All images have short descriptions. All in-text citations are linked, however backlinks only return to their first in-text citation. Linked DOIs are provided, but are not uniquely identified.

Additional Accessibility Information

  • Page breaks included from the original print source

Compact Statements

This example shows compact statements that would commonly be displayed for a highly accessible title. These compact statements are generated from the same metadata as the descriptive statements above. People may be able to choose to view the descriptive or the compact statement depending on how the presentation of accessibility information is designed.

Ways of Reading

  • Appearance can be modified.
  • Readable in read aloud or dynamic braille.
  • Has alternative text.
  • No information about prerecorded audio is available.

Conformance

  • This publication meets accepted accessibility standards.
  • The publication was certified by Benetech.
  • The certifier’s credential is Benetech Global Certified Accessible
Detailed Conformance

This publication claims to meet EPUB Accessibility 1.0 WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

Navigation

  • Table of contents
  • Index
  • Headings

Rich Content

  • Math as MathML

Hazards

  • No hazards

Accessibility Summary

This title strives to conform to WCAG 2.1 at the AA level. Some images may appear on pages different from the print version. All images have short descriptions. All in-text citations are linked, however backlinks only return to their first in-text citation. Linked DOIs are provided, but are not uniquely identified.

Additional Accessibility Information

  • Page breaks included

Note: It is important to bring attention to the inclusion of MathML in publications. In the section “Rich content” there is the entry “Math as MathML.” This means that true mathematics is provided which Assistive Technology can effectively present in synthetic speech and refreshable braille to end users. In the past, images of math were provided and if alt text was included, it would be identified as “described math.” It is by far more desirable to have MathML in Born Accessible publications than images of math.

Guidance for Educators and School Districts

For Educators

As an educator, selecting course materials involves more than just content relevance; it also means ensuring all students can access the material equitably. Before selecting titles for your courses, it is essential to:

  • Review Accessibility Metadata: Actively seek out and interpret the accessibility metadata provided by publishers and distributors. Understand the key features and limitations.
  • Identify Student Needs: Consider the diverse needs of your students, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments.
  • Make Informed Decisions: Use the metadata to determine if a publication will meet the needs of your students with disabilities without requiring extensive remediation or alternative formats. This proactive approach supports an inclusive learning environment from the outset.

For School Districts

School districts face increasing legal and ethical responsibilities to ensure their digital resources are accessible to all students. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II updates, in particular, emphasize that public educational institutions must make their websites, mobile apps, and digital content “readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities,” often aligning with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

Therefore, school districts should leverage accessibility metadata as a key factor in their material adoption processes:

  • Compliance and Risk Mitigation: By prioritizing titles with robust accessibility metadata and certifications, districts can ensure compliance with regulations, reduce the risk of legal challenges, and protect federal funding.
  • Equitable Access: Selecting accessible titles ensures that every student has an equal opportunity to learn and succeed, fostering a more inclusive educational system.
  • Vendor Partnerships: Districts should partner with content providers and platforms that are committed to accessibility and provide transparent, verifiable accessibility metadata. Some institutions require independent third-party certification of content before purchasing.
  • Long-Term Strategy: Incorporating accessibility considerations, guided by metadata, into content selection is a future-proof strategy that prevents costly retrofits and promotes a culture of inclusivity.

Resources

For more detailed information, consider exploring resources from:

This article synthesizes information on accessibility metadata in digital publishing, drawing on publicly available resources from organizations such as the W3C, the DAISY Consortium, VitalSource, Benetech, and other industry sources focusing on digital accessibility. This article was authored by George Kerscher with the support of AI-assisted drafting tools and carefully reviewed by the DAISY team for accuracy.