RE: EPUB Accessibility

Hi Wayne,

 

EPUB is maintained by W3C now. Specifically, there’s a Publishing Community Group task force[1] looking at the issues with fixed-layout EPUBs and whether there are remedies for them. They’re a widely recognized problem, and anyone interested is welcome to join the group.

 

You should also check out VitalSource. There are still many fixed layout-only textbooks (PDFs) in their catalogue, of course, but they also offer a lot of reflowable EPUB ones. See their availability of calculus works[2], for example, or math generally.[3] (Unfortunately, I don’t know of a way to filter to list only reflowable ones.)

 

[1] https://www.w3.org/events/meetings/b7a47bb9-8d03-4bfc-b03f-6f4bc6669618/20230822T090000

[2] https://www.vitalsource.com/textbooks/mathematics/calculus

[3] https://www.vitalsource.com/textbooks/mathematics

 

Matt

 

From: Wayne Dick <wayneedick@gmail.com> 
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2023 5:18 PM
To: W3C WAI ig <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: EPUB Accessibility

 

EPUB  is an international standard based on HTML. They have an accessibility standard  <https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-a11y-11/> https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-a11y-11/. This is tied to WCAG 2.1. This is good. If the reflow criterion  1.4.10 is needed anywhere, it is needed in published books, articles, monographs etc.

There is a "fixed format" for ebooks. This is inaccessible categorically. I  hope that  this  is  called out by the EPUB organization in its literature  on accessibility.

When we address the overhead cost of 2-dimensional scrolling for articles, monographs and books we are talking about thousands, tens  of thousands and hundreds of thousands of scrolls.

There are no textbooks in mathematics beyond  calculus that reflow, and I only know  of one calculus that reflows. 

Special attention should  be given to  STEM textbooks. Lack of accessible STEM textbooks is the reason for low participation in STEM subjects for people with print disabilities. It is very difficult to succeed in a course when you don't have a textbook.

best, Wayne