This document provides guidelines for creating accessible ebooks, including:
- Ensuring all text is machine-readable rather than images to allow for text customization and text-to-speech.
- Allowing users to customize text features like size, font, and color.
- Enabling text-to-speech so content can be listened to.
- Checking layout at different font sizes and reworking tables if needed.
- Including navigational aids like a table of contents and ensuring headings are structured.
- Providing image descriptions so content is understandable without visuals.
This TBLC-sponsored webinar was presented by Al Carlson and Chad Mairn on 5/26/2010.
It can be argued that reading habits have changed since electronic publications have become more prevalent in our growing digital world; however, library staff should remain focused and become informed advocates for their readers no matter what, why, and where they choose to read. Join Al Carlson and Chad Mairn as they discuss the intricacies of electronic publication formats and reading devices in order to help make everything involved in electronic reading more comprehensible to library staff, so that they can focus their efforts on their patrons’ reading and to not get stuck on the format or device where the reading takes place. They’ll help you figure out the relative strengths and weaknesses of today’s crop of e-reading devices and look ahead to what you’ll see within five years. Al and Chad don’t have all the answers, but they’ll help you start asking the right questions. Some examples: What should the library user who loves to read buy now? A Nook? An iPad? Something else?
Why should libraries provide e-reading opportunities? How should libraries provide e-reading opportunities without over-committing to technology that may turn out to be the equivalent of the BetaMax tape? What happens when advancing technology makes every gadget we own a potential e-reader? How do libraries deal with an enormous materials collection that can be accessed from anywhere but fits on a flash drive?
Flipside's PEPCON presentation - Migrating Content into the Digital PlatformHoney de Peralta
This presentation's objective is to educate and empower Philippine educational publishers who are or have yet to convert their content into ebooks. It includes advice regarding the technology, ebook formats, how to distribute in the e-textbooks in the Philippine market, and recommended ebook apps.
This deck was meant to be delivered during the 1st Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA) Conference on Sept. 19 at SMX. The typhoon Fung-Wong (or Mario in the PH) prevented me from delivering it live. However, this deck was also distributed to the participants during the event and to the members of PEPA.
I am now making it available for everyone's reference. May it be useful to you.
This TBLC-sponsored webinar was presented by Al Carlson and Chad Mairn on 5/26/2010.
It can be argued that reading habits have changed since electronic publications have become more prevalent in our growing digital world; however, library staff should remain focused and become informed advocates for their readers no matter what, why, and where they choose to read. Join Al Carlson and Chad Mairn as they discuss the intricacies of electronic publication formats and reading devices in order to help make everything involved in electronic reading more comprehensible to library staff, so that they can focus their efforts on their patrons’ reading and to not get stuck on the format or device where the reading takes place. They’ll help you figure out the relative strengths and weaknesses of today’s crop of e-reading devices and look ahead to what you’ll see within five years. Al and Chad don’t have all the answers, but they’ll help you start asking the right questions. Some examples: What should the library user who loves to read buy now? A Nook? An iPad? Something else?
Why should libraries provide e-reading opportunities? How should libraries provide e-reading opportunities without over-committing to technology that may turn out to be the equivalent of the BetaMax tape? What happens when advancing technology makes every gadget we own a potential e-reader? How do libraries deal with an enormous materials collection that can be accessed from anywhere but fits on a flash drive?
Flipside's PEPCON presentation - Migrating Content into the Digital PlatformHoney de Peralta
This presentation's objective is to educate and empower Philippine educational publishers who are or have yet to convert their content into ebooks. It includes advice regarding the technology, ebook formats, how to distribute in the e-textbooks in the Philippine market, and recommended ebook apps.
This deck was meant to be delivered during the 1st Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA) Conference on Sept. 19 at SMX. The typhoon Fung-Wong (or Mario in the PH) prevented me from delivering it live. However, this deck was also distributed to the participants during the event and to the members of PEPA.
I am now making it available for everyone's reference. May it be useful to you.
How Can Publishers Leverage Fixed Layout eBook Conversion.pptxData-Entry-India.com
With the growing popularity of eBooks across the globe, a majority of authors and publishers have been confused about which eBook layout to choose for better engagement and sales.
In order to help you out with a suitable eBook layout, we have brought together some distinguishing points for you. With a brief comparison, it will be easier for you to decide between fixed layout and refloable eBook format, and consequently, move towards increasing your eBooks’ reach and engagement. Read on to understand both the eBook layouts and take your pick as per your need and preference. https://www.data-entry-india.com/blog/how-can-publishers-leverage-fixed-layout-ebook-conversion
This presentation was provided by George Kerscher of Benetech during the NISO event "Making Content Accessible: How Can Publishers and Libraries Better Satisfy the Obligation?" The virtual conference took place on May 13, 2020.
Why is it necessary to maintain consistency in academic writingSets India
Extremely long sentences, variation in tense usage, improper flow of thoughts, incorrect numbering, and extensive and inconsistent usage of articles such as ‘the’ disturbs and distracts editors, reviewers, and reader's flow when reading the manuscript. Inconsistency is an error commonly made when writing a research paper, and such an error creates negative impression about the overall quality of the paper. The results of your study may be of great value, but poor writing and flow may lead to misrepresentation of your work, causing it to be rejected. Research paper editing by a Native Speaker is quiet helpful prior submitting your manuscript to your targeted journals.
We often think writing comes easier to a writer than other people, but professional writing is difficult. A writer must be aware of the obstacles that may prevent the reader from understanding the content. Writing to remove these obstacles and delivering thoughts clearly are the prime focus of a professional writer. However, research is a slow process and writing a research paper can be a daunting task.
Researchers commonly make consistency errors. Researchers consider readers are smart enough to understand and overlook inconsistencies, but it is vital to overcome inconsistency errors for the manuscript to be accepted by the journals and for the author’s message to be clearly conveyed to the readers. For those who are Non Native Speakers would advise you all to once submit your manuscript for checking its consistency, and English Language errors to Research paper editing company / professional.
Communicate Your Message Clearly with These Simple StepsProofessor default
Editing and proofreading services delivered by experts. We firstly edit, checking each sentence carefully, ensuring clarity and purpose. Our proofreaders check all work for grammatical and punctuation, including spelling mistakes, etc, removing all errors.
Accessible portable content provides anytime/anywhere access to learning. See also
EPUB Accessibility 1.0 [http://www.idpf.org/epub/a11y/accessibility.html]
How Can Publishers Leverage Fixed Layout eBook Conversion.pptxData-Entry-India.com
With the growing popularity of eBooks across the globe, a majority of authors and publishers have been confused about which eBook layout to choose for better engagement and sales.
In order to help you out with a suitable eBook layout, we have brought together some distinguishing points for you. With a brief comparison, it will be easier for you to decide between fixed layout and refloable eBook format, and consequently, move towards increasing your eBooks’ reach and engagement. Read on to understand both the eBook layouts and take your pick as per your need and preference. https://www.data-entry-india.com/blog/how-can-publishers-leverage-fixed-layout-ebook-conversion
This presentation was provided by George Kerscher of Benetech during the NISO event "Making Content Accessible: How Can Publishers and Libraries Better Satisfy the Obligation?" The virtual conference took place on May 13, 2020.
Why is it necessary to maintain consistency in academic writingSets India
Extremely long sentences, variation in tense usage, improper flow of thoughts, incorrect numbering, and extensive and inconsistent usage of articles such as ‘the’ disturbs and distracts editors, reviewers, and reader's flow when reading the manuscript. Inconsistency is an error commonly made when writing a research paper, and such an error creates negative impression about the overall quality of the paper. The results of your study may be of great value, but poor writing and flow may lead to misrepresentation of your work, causing it to be rejected. Research paper editing by a Native Speaker is quiet helpful prior submitting your manuscript to your targeted journals.
We often think writing comes easier to a writer than other people, but professional writing is difficult. A writer must be aware of the obstacles that may prevent the reader from understanding the content. Writing to remove these obstacles and delivering thoughts clearly are the prime focus of a professional writer. However, research is a slow process and writing a research paper can be a daunting task.
Researchers commonly make consistency errors. Researchers consider readers are smart enough to understand and overlook inconsistencies, but it is vital to overcome inconsistency errors for the manuscript to be accepted by the journals and for the author’s message to be clearly conveyed to the readers. For those who are Non Native Speakers would advise you all to once submit your manuscript for checking its consistency, and English Language errors to Research paper editing company / professional.
Communicate Your Message Clearly with These Simple StepsProofessor default
Editing and proofreading services delivered by experts. We firstly edit, checking each sentence carefully, ensuring clarity and purpose. Our proofreaders check all work for grammatical and punctuation, including spelling mistakes, etc, removing all errors.
Accessible portable content provides anytime/anywhere access to learning. See also
EPUB Accessibility 1.0 [http://www.idpf.org/epub/a11y/accessibility.html]
Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity. Users of mobile devices desire to take full advantage of the features
available on those devices, but many of the features provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security. This best practices guide outlines steps the users can take to better protect personal devices and information.
Maruthi Prithivirajan, Head of ASEAN & IN Solution Architecture, Neo4j
Get an inside look at the latest Neo4j innovations that enable relationship-driven intelligence at scale. Learn more about the newest cloud integrations and product enhancements that make Neo4j an essential choice for developers building apps with interconnected data and generative AI.
20 Comprehensive Checklist of Designing and Developing a WebsitePixlogix Infotech
Dive into the world of Website Designing and Developing with Pixlogix! Looking to create a stunning online presence? Look no further! Our comprehensive checklist covers everything you need to know to craft a website that stands out. From user-friendly design to seamless functionality, we've got you covered. Don't miss out on this invaluable resource! Check out our checklist now at Pixlogix and start your journey towards a captivating online presence today.
Alt. GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using ...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
Building RAG with self-deployed Milvus vector database and Snowpark Container...Zilliz
This talk will give hands-on advice on building RAG applications with an open-source Milvus database deployed as a docker container. We will also introduce the integration of Milvus with Snowpark Container Services.
Communications Mining Series - Zero to Hero - Session 1DianaGray10
This session provides introduction to UiPath Communication Mining, importance and platform overview. You will acquire a good understand of the phases in Communication Mining as we go over the platform with you. Topics covered:
• Communication Mining Overview
• Why is it important?
• How can it help today’s business and the benefits
• Phases in Communication Mining
• Demo on Platform overview
• Q/A
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
Full-RAG: A modern architecture for hyper-personalizationZilliz
Mike Del Balso, CEO & Co-Founder at Tecton, presents "Full RAG," a novel approach to AI recommendation systems, aiming to push beyond the limitations of traditional models through a deep integration of contextual insights and real-time data, leveraging the Retrieval-Augmented Generation architecture. This talk will outline Full RAG's potential to significantly enhance personalization, address engineering challenges such as data management and model training, and introduce data enrichment with reranking as a key solution. Attendees will gain crucial insights into the importance of hyperpersonalization in AI, the capabilities of Full RAG for advanced personalization, and strategies for managing complex data integrations for deploying cutting-edge AI solutions.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Dr. Sean Tan, Head of Data Science, Changi Airport Group
Discover how Changi Airport Group (CAG) leverages graph technologies and generative AI to revolutionize their search capabilities. This session delves into the unique search needs of CAG’s diverse passengers and customers, showcasing how graph data structures enhance the accuracy and relevance of AI-generated search results, mitigating the risk of “hallucinations” and improving the overall customer journey.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Why You Should Replace Windows 11 with Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 for enhanced perfor...SOFTTECHHUB
The choice of an operating system plays a pivotal role in shaping our computing experience. For decades, Microsoft's Windows has dominated the market, offering a familiar and widely adopted platform for personal and professional use. However, as technological advancements continue to push the boundaries of innovation, alternative operating systems have emerged, challenging the status quo and offering users a fresh perspective on computing.
One such alternative that has garnered significant attention and acclaim is Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, a sleek, powerful, and user-friendly Linux distribution that promises to redefine the way we interact with our devices. With its focus on performance, security, and customization, Nitrux Linux presents a compelling case for those seeking to break free from the constraints of proprietary software and embrace the freedom and flexibility of open-source computing.
In his public lecture, Christian Timmerer provides insights into the fascinating history of video streaming, starting from its humble beginnings before YouTube to the groundbreaking technologies that now dominate platforms like Netflix and ORF ON. Timmerer also presents provocative contributions of his own that have significantly influenced the industry. He concludes by looking at future challenges and invites the audience to join in a discussion.
Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
2. Accessible ebook creation
Key guidelines on creating accessible ebooks
Introduction
Do you work on ebook production? Do you support the publishing
industry by providing digital conversion services? This guidance
will help you to maximise the reach of the ebooks you create by
ensuring that they can be read and enjoyed by the widest possible
audience. This includes people who live with a wide range of
disabilities, as well as the many people who acquire a sensory
impairment later in life.
Following this guidance will also improve the reading experience
for all users, including those who read on smart phones or other
devices with small screens.
People with disabilities who find standard print books difficult or
impossible to read include blind and partially sighted people, some
people with dyslexia, and people who find it physically difficult to
hold a book or turn the pages. See Annex 1 for more information
about how people with a range of disabilities read.
The number of people who find standard print books hard to read
represents a very significant potential customer base. Globally, the
World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 314 million
people are blind or partially sighted. The UK’s Right to Read
Alliance estimates that 1 in 8 people in the UK have a print
impairment, and there is no reason to assume this would be
different in any other developed country.
Most ebook reading devices include features that can make books
more accessible to people who find it difficult or impossible to read
standard print. These can include the ability to alter font sizes,
change typeface, and read the ebook using synthetic speech.
However, the ebooks themselves need to be created so they can
take advantage of these features.
Guidelines
These guidelines cover the most important factors in making your
ebooks accessible. They apply regardless of ebook file format,
reading device, or publishing software, and as a result, some items
Version 1.0 February 2011 2
3. may not be relevant to all ebook formats. Guidance for specific
ebook file formats and publishing software will be available from
www.rnib.org.uk/publisheradvice.
You may find your titles already follow some of these guidelines,
since some file formats and publishing software can lend
themselves to supporting them. There are, however, many
exceptions, so it is worth checking all the guidelines listed below to
ensure your ebooks are as accessible as possible.
Please note that “reading device” refers to both hardware readers
and to software reading programs or apps on a computer or mobile
device such as a phone.
There is a glossary at Annex 2 explaining some less common
terms.
1. Ensure text is interpreted by the reading device as text.
Many of the benefits of ebooks are only possible if ebook readers
can recognise and interpret the individual letters and words within
the ebook. These include personalising font size, typeface, colour
and contrast, having text reflow, and reading them using text to
speech.
If your text has been imported as a graphic instead of digital text,
basic ebook reader functions are prevented, including many which
impact accessibility. If text is image-based, ebooks do not offer the
same level of functionality or customisation, as the reading device
can only see a meaningless collection of pixels. The user is
therefore unable to adjust the appearance of the ebook, read it
using text-to-speech, or use the search functionality.
This even extends to dropped capitals at the start of chapters -
ensure they are text based from a font rather than a graphic. If you
use graphics a user relying on text-to-speech will lose the first
letter of the word.
It may not always be possible to use real text rather than an image,
for example this may be difficult with a complex mathematical
equation. If this is the case, provide an alternative text description
as well. (Guideline 6 talks more about alternative text descriptions).
Version 1.0 February 2011 3
4. You may already be creating text-based ebooks, but it is worth
checking because this is key to being able to meet most of the
other guidelines.
Preserve all content as text, not graphics
This extends to dropped capitals at the start of new chapters
If graphics are necessary, provide an alternative text
description.
2. Allow the user to customise the appearance of the text.
Many reading devices allow users to modify the appearance of text
to make it easier to read. This can include font size, typeface,
colour, spacing and text alignment / justification. For many people
being able to customise the appearance of the text will make the
difference between being able to read the ebook or not.
These features can make a great difference to many partially
sighted people and to some people with dyslexia. They will also
help people who are starting to find standard print too small as
they get older.
As an example some users with dyslexia will benefit from adjusting
both the foreground and background colours to enable them to
read, and some users with low vision may require reversed out text
(white text on a black background) and larger fonts.
Avoid locking your settings in such a way that users cannot take
advantage of the ability to customise the text appearance.
3. Enable text-to-speech.
Some reading devices have built-in text-to-speech capability or can
be used with screenreaders, so that the user can listen to the book
instead of, or at the same time as, reading the screen. Text-to-
speech uses computer-generated synthetic speech to read out
each word of the ebook. No recording is made and there is no
audio copy of the text created.
Sometimes this can only be switched on if the ebook creator allows
text-to-speech to be used with their book. Listening to
text-to-speech is a different experience to listening to an audio
Version 1.0 February 2011 4
5. book as it uses synthetic speech rather than being read aloud by a
human being, so tends to sound fairly robotic and does not
interpret emotion or meaning. Some reading devices are now
capable of speaking their menus and tables of contents, so that
they are accessible to a blind user so long as the book content
itself can be spoken.
Someone who cannot read the screen is reliant on the text being
read aloud, so this feature is essential for blind users. Many
people who are partially sighted or have dyslexia also find it
difficult to read text visually, especially for a lengthy period, and
find it very helpful to be able to listen. Some will rely entirely on
listening, others may prefer to listen simultaneously with reading
visually. Text-to-speech can also benefit people who have physical
disabilities that make it difficult to turn pages or to hold a reading
device for any length of time.
Enable text-to-speech on your ebooks.
4. Check layout and formatting at a range of font sizes.
Ensure all elements of the book remain readable at the full range
of font sizes. Formatting can occasionally restrict the extent to
which text can reflow, resulting in parts of the book being difficult to
read when the font size is set to large on some reading devices.
Tables in particular may need to be rethought. Because of the
small screen on many ebook reading devices and the use of text
reflow, large tables can become difficult to read. This can apply to
tables with several columns or rows, or to tables with large
amounts of text in individual cells. Large tables can be difficult for
anyone to read, but the problem is exacerbated when the font size
is increased, causing particular difficulties for users who need
larger fonts. Small tables with a limited amount of text are less
likely to be affected, however large tables may need to be
restructured or rewritten as body text.
Text alignment can also cause problems on some reading devices,
particularly with right aligned text. Some ebook readers don’t
hyphenate right aligned text, resulting in the beginning of long
words disappearing off the left hand side of the screen. Some
Version 1.0 February 2011 5
6. users with dyslexia or partial sight find left aligned text easier to
read than fully justified text.
These layout and formatting issues are particularly relevant for
anyone partially sighted who needs larger font sizes, and will also
apply to anyone reading your book on a small screen such as a
phone.
Ensure all elements of the book remain readable at the full
range of font sizes
Large tables may need to be restructured or rewritten as body
text
Avoid right aligned text.
5. Enable the user to find their way around the book.
Navigational information such as a table of contents and headings
helps any user to find their way around a book. These features will
only work if the document is structured, for example tables of
contents should contain links taking the user directly to their
chosen location, and headings should be marked up using heading
styles rather than being identified by purely visual formatting such
as making them bold.
This is particularly useful for anyone who finds it hard to skim read
text to locate what they are looking for. This can include blind and
partially sighted people, and some people with dyslexia.
Provide navigational information
Ensure it is applied through structure rather than purely visual
formatting.
6. Provide alternative text for images and embedded media.
Provide a meaningful caption and an alternative text description for
any image that conveys important information. Alternative text is
supported in most ebook formats to provide a text description that
is not usually displayed on screen, but should be recognised and
read by the text-to-speech feature in a reading device. Not all
reading devices detect alternative text, so meaningful captions
should also be provided stating what the image is of, or a trend or
Version 1.0 February 2011 6
7. summary of information if this is not given in the main text, for
example “Chart showing gradual rise of sales during 2009”.
Note also that it is likely that any text within the image will not be
interpreted as text by the reading device, so will not respond to font
customisation, be read out by text-to-speech or be included in a
search. Therefore any important text from the image also needs to
be covered in the caption and alternative text description.
Meaningful captions and alternative text descriptions will assist
anyone who cannot see the image or finds it hard to interpret. They
will help blind users, and also partially sighted users who may see
the image, but not clearly enough to interpret it. Images which are
purely decorative and do not add any information (such as borders
and section breaks) can be left without alternative text, and a
caption is not be necessary. Alternative text and image captions
should be as succinct and to the point as possible.
Some reading devices can play multimedia clips. If you are
including these you need to consider alternate versions for people
with disabilities. A link to a transcript of video or audio material can
be essential for users with a hearing impairment, and blind and
partially sighted people will benefit from a description of an action
happening in a video which isn't described in the audio track.
Provide a meaningful caption and alternative text description for
images conveying important information
Link to or embed alternate versions of multimedia.
7. Make sure the reading order is correct.
Ensure the underlying reading and navigation order faithfully
correspond to the visual order, so the book is interpreted correctly
by text-to-speech or screenreaders. Depending how the ebook is
created and the creation software used, the underlying structure
may not reflect the visual presentation of the book. This can be a
particular issue with multi-column layouts, and non-uniform text
configurations which visually break up the text, for example the
kinds of columns, boxes and quotes typical of a brochure or
magazine layout.
Version 1.0 February 2011 7
8. The result of a poorly constructed reading order is that
text-to-speech will read elements of the book out of sequence,
which can make it almost impossible to interpret your publication.
Ensure the ebook reads in the correct order.
8. Keep your text clearly legible.
Avoid large sections of underlining, italics, bold and blocks of
capitalised text. These tend to make it harder for people to read
text, by distorting text from the expected letter shapes, and by
losing the visual cues in lower case letters including the ascenders
and descenders, causing potential confusion between letters such
as o and p, i and j.
Guidelines on good practice for clear text, including the RNIB See
it Right guidelines (www.rnib.org.uk/seeitright), advocate restricting
the use of italics, underlining and bold text as these tend to reduce
readability for all users, and particularly for people with sight loss.
Bold can be effective when used sparingly for emphasis.
Restrict use of character formatting.
9. Test your ebook!
Test your ebooks on the reading devices you expect them to be
read on. Annex 1 has information on how people with a range of
disabilities read.
Ensure the content is displayed correctly at the smallest and
largest font sizes
Check that all features available work properly, such as colour
changes and typeface changes
Check that text-to-speech matches the visual reading order
Test your ebooks on devices with a range of screen sizes
See ebook accessibility testing checklist below for further
guidance.
10. Use ebook accessibility and usability guidance.
RNIB is publishing more detailed and specific guidance for the
creation of accessible ebooks with particular ebook file formats, or
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9. using particular publishing software. This will be available from
www.rnib.org.uk/publisheradvice and will include guidance on
creating accessible apps for Apple’s devices and creating
accessible EPUB and Kindle ebooks using InDesign.
EPUB is a widely supported open standard ebook format which
supports reflowable text. Its standards body, the IDPF
(International Digital Publishing Forum), includes some
accessibility guidance within the standard at www.idpf.org.
Some companies publish accessibility and usability guidance for
creating ebooks to be run on their devices.
Amazon publish guidelines for Kindle books that include
features that will improve the user experience, Amazon Kindle
Publishing Guidelines (http://bit.ly/e5ePUl)
Apple publish technical guidance for app developers at Apple’s
Accessibility Programming Guide for iPhone OS
(http://bit.ly/eAfkCm). This is relevant when creating ebooks as
apps, but not for any other ebooks.
Further information and feedback
For further guidance and information see
www.rnib.org.uk/publisheradvice or contact
publisheradvice@rnib.org.uk.
RNIB is working to promote accessibility for people with print
disabilities. We would welcome feedback to
publisheradvice@rnib.org.uk as to how useful you found this
guidance, and any suggestions you have for improvement.
Version 1.0 February 2011 9
10. Ebook accessibility testing checklist
Test your book on a representative range of reading devices,
including a range of screen sizes and ones which have
accessibility features. Some of the tests below depend on the
reading device(s) having the relevant capability.
1. Can the reading device interpret text?
Does the reading device’s search feature work with your
ebook?
Can font size be altered, and does the text then reflow?
Are any dropped capitals font based rather than graphics?
Where you have not been able to avoid using image based text,
is an alternative text description provided?
2. Can text appearance be customised?
Can the font size be changed?
Does text reflow properly at minimum and maximum font sizes?
Can the typeface be changed?
Can line or character spacing be changed?
Can text alignment / justification be changed?
Can text be reversed out (white text on a black background)?
Can the text and / or background colours be changed?
3. Is text-to-speech enabled?
Is the book read aloud if the reading device has text-to-speech
switched on?
4. Do the layout and formatting work properly at the full range
of font sizes?
Does standard body text reflow properly and remain readable at
the minimum and maximum font sizes supported by the reading
device?
Can the user read and interpret any tables at maximum font
size?
Are lists displayed properly at minimum and maximum font
sizes?
Have you avoided right aligned text?
Do all text styles display properly at the full range of font sizes?
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11. 5. Would a user be able to find their way around the book?
Does the table of contents contain links taking the user directly
to the required location?
Can reading devices with the ability to recognise headings
locate the headings in your ebook?
Does all navigation function correctly?
Is any other navigational information created using structural
mark up rather than purely visual formatting?
6. Is alternative text provided for images and embedded
media?
Do all images which convey information have a caption which
states what the image is of, summarising the key information
briefly if it is not included in the text?
Do all images which convey information have an alternative text
description which conveys the information in the image, and
while succinct is likely to be a fuller description than given in the
caption?
If images have text within them, is this included if relevant within
the caption and alternative text description?
Do any multimedia clips have links to the transcripts or
descriptions needed by people with hearing loss and people
with sight loss?
7. Does the ebook read in the correct order?
Does text-to-speech read the book in the correct order,
particularly columns, tables and non-uniform text?
8. Is the text easy to read?
Have you avoided blocks of text which can be difficult to read,
including italics, underlining, bold and capitalisation?
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12. Annex 1 - How people with a range of
disabilities read
Blindness
People who are blind may use audio to read, listening to the text
being read aloud. Some read using braille, either as hard copy or
using a braille display attached to a computer or mobile device
such as a phone.
Dyslexia
Some people with dyslexia need to modify screen and text colours,
and may find it helpful to alter font size and typeface. Some also
find listening to the text helpful, sometimes combined with
simultaneously reading the text visually.
Hearing loss
Ebooks provide the opportunity to include audio or video clips
within your book. People with hearing loss will find it helpful to be
given some textual information about the audio content.
Partial sight
Some people who are partially sighted use audio, others prefer to
read visually. They may need to enhance the appearance, for
example enlarge the print, increase contrast, or modify the
typeface or colour.
Physical impairments
For people who find it physically hard to hold a book or turn the
page, an ebook reader may help in several ways. Pressing a
button or touching the screen may be easier than turning a page in
a paper book, and using text to speech reduces the need even to
do this.
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13. Annex 2 - Glossary
Alternative text description
This is text that describes the content of an image but is not
normally displayed visually to a user. It is usually only accessed
through text-to-speech or screenreaders, or if the user chooses to
have it displayed. For example on a web page, alt-text for an
image is read aloud by any text-to-speech software being used,
and can also be available visually by moving the mouse over the
image. It is thus helpful to a blind user who cannot see the image,
and to a partially sighted user who is reading visually but may find
the image hard to interpret.
Braille display
This is a piece of hardware attached to a computer or mobile
device containing a rows of pins which can be raised and lowered
to construct braille, and is used to display text from the screen to a
blind user reading by touch. Braille displays typically contain only
one line of braille along with navigation buttons to navigate through
the content shown on screen.
Navigational information
This assists a user to move around a book. They may read it
straight through but they may use a table of contents to navigate to
a specific chapter; they may use a bookmark to find a previously
marked location; or use a “Find” facility to locate a particular word
or phrase.
Reading device
This covers both hardware devices for reading ebooks, and
software programs and apps on a computer or mobile device such
as a phone.
Screenreader
This is a software application that runs alongside other programs
and reads aloud whatever is displayed on screen, enabling a blind
person to use a computer or mobile device such as a phone to
navigate menus and read within applications.
Synthetic speech
This is artificial speech generated by a computer. Sounds are
based on a dictionary of pronunciation and/or phonetic knowledge.
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14. Many different synthetic 'voices' are available to cover different
languages and frequently offer both male and female voices. While
there have been improvements in the technology related to
synthetic speech in recent years, computer generated voices are
easily identifiable and not comparable with human narration.
Text-to-speech
This software, available on many ebook reading devices, renders
digital text as synthetic speech, allowing someone who cannot see
the text to listen to it instead. Some text-to-speech engines in
ebook readers only allow reading of books, but do not provide
audio access to menus, thus not functioning as a screenreader.
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