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Enabling Technologies Framework Guidelines

The Enabling Technologies Framework is a three year project funded by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and endorsed by the Stakeholders Platform of WIPO. This is a joint project involving both EDItEUR and the DAISY Consortium (www.daisy.org) and since the project began in June 2010 there has already been rapid advance in practice towards ebook accessibility.

Our goal is to evolve mainstream publishing processes so that they are capable of delivering digital publications that are fully accessible to people with reading disabilities. Reading disabilities affect most of us at some point in our lives, whether it be visual impairment, mobility challenges, cognitive problems or even a temporary or situational disability. It is estimated that 10% percent of the population experience difficulty when trying to access printed reading materials. If engineered properly, publishing processes should be able to yield digital products that can be used effectively by every member of society. The fundamental usability of digital publications should equally meet the needs of both mainstream users and persons with disabilities; our target is to allow the same product to be used by everybody.

The focus of work has been to develop best practice guidelines for publishers to follow in their production process.

In April 2011 EDItEUR launched the guidelines document Accessible Publishing, Best Practice Guidelines for Publishers. The third version of these guidelines was published in September 2012 and they are available in the English language in Word, HTML and PDF. The guidelines can also be accessed in French, Spanish and Italian (in Word format), and in German (in pdf format). Alternatively, they are available in a variety of formats in Japanese by downloading a zip file.

In April 2012 EDItEUR, along with The Publishers' Association, RNIB, Dyslexia Action and JISC TechDis, launched a Joint Statement on Accessibility and Ebooks. This statement was promoted during the successful Accessibility Seminar, held in the same month at London Book Fair.

In October 2012 EDItEUR and LIA hosted an Accessibility Seminar entitled A new market: accessible ebooks in mainstream channels and you can view the presentations from this seminar on the Events page here.

For further information on the project please contact Sarah Hilderley at sarah@editeur.org. Accessibility updates are also available through following us on Twitter @accessiblebooks.

Translation Guidelines for Accessible Publishing are available for download in Word. To view this document, please click here.

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