Business Case for Accessibility In Publishing: Why Publishers Need to Act Now

Are Digital Publishers Ready for the Amendments?

The short answer: many publishers are still grappling with meeting digital accessibility compliance.

• Less than 4 out of 10 European publishers produce accessible ebooks.
• Publishers need specialized accessibility knowledge that may not be readily available in their organization.
• They face inconsistencies in accessibility guideline implementations.
• Varying accessibility knowledge and commitment among stakeholders make standardization harder.
• The costs associated with accessibility testing for publishers, implementing required tools, and training staff members can stretch resources thin.

Making websites accessible requires anywhere upwards of $50 per webpage. The costs also vary depending on the page and the number of hours, accessible digital resources, and tools required. This makes it difficult for publishers to keep up with the rapid pace of legislative changes.

But they can’t afford to get it wrong either. A single ADA violation can cost up to $75,000 and increase to $150,000 for additional violations.

What Does Accessibility in Publishing Mean?

For publishers, accessibility in publishing is a commitment to inclusive content. It could be making interactive content accessible or developing user-friendly websites.

Accessibility features come in various forms and are designed to address a broad spectrum of challenges.

Example: Making eBooks accessible

These are just a few examples of what eBook accessibility might look like:

• Modifying typography without compromising aesthetics or integrity.
• Refining layouts to enhance usability and comprehension.
• Retiring inaccessible fonts to balance accessibility in publishing with consistent design standards.
• Making Chromebook content compatible with inherent Accessibility features.

Even the smallest modifications, like deciding on who is responsible for alt text, require contemplation. While authors are a good choice, they may lack technical knowledge about accessibility standards. Conversely, technical teams may lack context for nuanced descriptions.

Similarly, retiring fonts and layout styles may disrupt the publication’s established visual identity, causing resistance from design teams or stakeholders in accessibility in publishing.

In each case, publishers have to reconcile diverse perspectives, balancing accessibility with design, technical feasibility, and audience expectations.

How AI Can Speed Up Accessibility for Publishers

Here are 4 major changes AI brings to accessibility:

• Quicker multi-lingual translations, so localization is easier.
• Conversion of text to audio, Braille, etc.
• Effective tools for captions and transcriptions to make video libraries accessible faster.
• Smarter tagging and better search tools for content discovery.

But it is important to note that AI can reflect biases in its training data. On top of that, strict data privacy rules make it tricky to use AI in accessibility publishing.

While many authors are eager to implement it, most lack the expertise. For example, Oxford University Press (OUP) found that while 76% of researchers use AI in their work, 72% are unaware of their institution’s AI policies.

Developing and integrating AI tools for accessibility in publishing can get expensive. And even when the tools are ready, getting teams to embrace the change can be a slow process.

How to Build Your Accessibility Business Case

Regardless of the complexities, accessibility in publishing is aligned with the core missions of many publishers, and they are contemplating larger initiatives.

The Princeton University Press (PUP) has signed two accessibility charters to enhance the accessibility of its publications. To date, their work has already resulted in the successful publication of over 400 fully accessible ebook editions, including life-long intellectual property.

Pearson’s accessibility guidelines provide developers with standards for creating the most effective content. This has helped them provide affordable, faster, and more efficient access to their digital textbooks for select Pearson titles for improving accessibility in publishing.

Educational publishers must comply with these new standards of accessibility without overhauling their existing accessibility implementation in publishing workflows. By integrating AI-driven accessibility solutions, publishers can streamline content creation, review, and updates.

This approach not only improves accessibility in publishing for backlist titles but also allows for scalable accessibility strategies for publishers across a larger content portfolio.

Through the years, Magic EdTech has helped many educational publishers meet their accessibility goals. We’re asked questions about why accessibility? How do we take the first step? Or how do we deliver an ACR? Take a look at this handy toolkit to find the answers to these frequently asked educational publishing