So, what’s the big deal about digital accessibility in e-books and websites? Why does it matter? Who does it impact? 

Well, you’ve come to the right place to find out! An important thing to remember when considering accessibility is that when you make something accessible to the best of your ability, you’re being inclusive. When you include more people in your content, more people will appreciate, share, and cherish it. Creating accessible content means that a person with a disability can absorb the same information, engage with your content, and enjoy the same services as someone without a disability effectively and efficiently. 

At Ooligan Press, we’re committed to learning more about how to make our content, including our e-books, as accessible as possible. As I step into my role as Digital Manager, this is one of my biggest goals and, quite frankly, my most considerable feat. As Digital Manager, my goal is to design accessible content and teach fellow students about why these standards are important. While the Digital Department works on the outskirts of Ooligan Press, I hope to develop creative ways to get Oolies more involved in our accessibility journey. There’s a long way to go, but all we can do is take one step at a time, make mistakes, and grow from them. 

Considering these standards from the beginning is essential when building accessibility into websites and e-books. Similarly, when cooking blueberry muffins, you can’t add more blueberries to the batter after they’re baked.

Within the last couple of years, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have established ways for online platforms to become more accessible, including e-books. Technically, WCAG is not a law but a set of accessibility standards that adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There are various tiers of accessibility, and for my visual learners, the blog post 5 illustrated metaphors to explain and advocate for accessibility does an excellent job of outlining this concept. Think of ADA as the ultimate goal and WCAG as the path to achieve it. 

What makes an e-book accessible? 

• Adjustable Font and Text Sizes. The freedom to switch to a standardized, easy-to-read text and have the ability to zoom in as much as you’d like? Say less. 
• Alt Text with Images. Be descriptive, but be succinct! We don’t need to know everything that’s happening in an image. Give a synopsis of the most important elements. That way, when there are text-to-speech options for your readers, the alt text completes the story. 
• Semantic Structure. A correct and thorough semantic structure will allow readers to navigate an e-book easily. Through assisted technology systems, they can effortlessly find chapters, section headings, indexes, etc. 
• Metadata and Language Information. This information can inspire a more diverse readership for your book, and who wouldn’t want that? Metadata for a book is like the cover art and blurb on a movie’s streaming page—it doesn’t play the movie, but it tells you the title, cast, and genre and gives you a quick trailer teaser to decide if you want to watch it.
• Text-to-Speech Functionality. Having text-to-speech opens up a whole new world for those who cannot read comfortably, taking them beyond the font and style settings offered by most e-readers. It fully immerses the reader in the story. 
• High Contrast Colors. Create content with limited but high-contrast colors (emphasis on limited). Don’t go crazy with colors and fonts. Keep things simple, readable, and to a few key colors. This will dramatically help people with vision impairments. 

As Digital Manager at Ooligan Press, I want WCAG standards to saturate my work. I have used ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector) a significant amount while editing our website, which is essentially a virtual accessibility expert. It helps me find problems with Ooligan’s website and walks me through how to fix them. While knowing a bit of HTML coding can be helpful, learning the basics through this free course from Code Academy is an excellent introduction to the world of website development. The Digital Department at Ooligan operates from a space of trial and error. And I mean a lot of trial and error. Sometimes, I spend a couple of hours learning something, implementing the change, and realizing it didn’t fix the problem. Or, I fix one issue, and it creates another. It’s the game’s name, and the most significant lesson I’ve learned thus far is that you can’t shy away from taking risks, trying new things, and taking control of your learning.

Written by Madelynn Sare.