The document summarizes an evaluation of the accessibility of 60 open textbooks across 17 subject areas. A team evaluated the textbooks using 26 metrics related to perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness. Overall, pre-set format websites like Connexions and Open Learn scored highest in accessibility, while PDF formats scored lowest. Common issues included lack of proper tagging, alternative text for images, and navigational aids for non-visual users. The evaluation provides guidance to authors on making open textbooks more inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities.

1. Carla De Winter, AccessCapable
Co-authors : Una Daly, College Open Textbooks
Alice Krueger, Virtual Ability Inc.

2. Introduction
 Open Educational Resources:
 openly licensed,
digital materials.
 available at low cost.
 Open Textbooks:
 converted from
“All Rights Reserved” From the Creative Commons store
to “Some Rights Reserved”.
 In line with the UN Convention article 24: State
Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all
levels.

3. The project
 Accessibility evaluation of 60 textbooks for College of
Open Textbooks.
 In-depth, consistent and quantitatively comparable
scoring:
 For 17 subject areas, from history to mathematics,
published on websites (56 %) or as PDF (42 %).
 Using 26 metrics according to WCAG and Section 508
(US) guidelines, in total 999 relevant evaluations.
 Done by a trained project team of disabled and impaired
individuals.

4. Metrics
 A textbook must be:
 Perceivable,
 Operable,
 Understandable, and
 Robust.

5. Issues of Website Structural
Accessibility
 Three types: pre-set formats (platforms),
wikimedia and self-developed websites
 For pre-set formats:
 Issues with colour contrast.
 Issues with structural markup.
 Issues with in-page navigation.

6. Issues of Website Structural
Accessibility: colour contrast

7. Issues of Website Structural
Accessibility
 Common Website Structural Problems:
 Structural Semantic Organizers.
 Tables (headings and attributes).
 Fixed Width Page.
 In-Page Navigation.

8. Issues of Website Structural
Accessibility: fixed width

9. Issues of Website Structural
Accessibility
 Common Website Structural Problems
(cont.):
 Use of Flash and Javascript.
 Non-Mouse Operation.
 Use of Frames.

10. Issues of PDF Accessibility
 PDFs download from website.
 PDF accessibility features:
 Tagging and reading order.
 Fonts allow character extraction to text.
 Non-mouse navigational aids.
 Alternative text for images and interactive form
fields.

11. Issues of PDF Accessibility
 Tagging and reading order.

12. Common Issues in Both Formats
 Visual Appearance.
 Content Organization.
 Variable Vocabulary.
 Author’s Voice.
 Consistency.
 Missing Alternative Texts.
 Comprehension Level.

13. Positive Findings
 In many textbooks:
 Appropriate Readability Level.
 Visual-Semantic Organization.
 Format Consistency.
 Good Presentation Style.
 Lack of Clutter.
 Presence of a Glossary.

14. Quantitative results
 From 1 (not accessible) to 5 (perfectly accessible):
Format Average
Score
Connexions (pre-set format) 4
Flat World Knowledge (pre-set format) 3
Open Learn (pre-set format) 4
Open Learning Initiative (pre-set format) 2.4
Wikimedia 4.1
Other Web-based textbooks 3.5
PDFs 2.7

15. Conclusions of the review
 Most issues are related to the
delivery mediums.
 BUT: Operable and Understandable
are within author control.
 Authors need:
 Awareness,
 How-To Knowledge,
 Professional Assistance, and
 Incentives.