E-Books and E-Readers for Users with Print Disabilities

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 3 of Library Reports (vol. 48, no. 7) Making Libraries Accessible: Adaptive Design and Assistive Technology discusses a range of commonly available e-book formats and e-readers with an eye to their accessibility features. Introduction In The Rise of E-reading, the Pew Internet Project reported, One-fifth of American adults (21%) report that they have read an e-book in the past year, and this number increased following a gift-giving season that saw a spike in the ownership of both tablet computers and e-book reading devices such as the original Kindles and Nooks. In mid-December 2011, 17% of American adults had reported they read an e-book in the previous year; by February 2012, the share increased to 21%. (1) Dedicated devices make it easy for many readers to access the e-books they borrow or buy without having to lug heavy volumes around, while e-reader software or apps enable readers to access their from anywhere on any device they choose. E-books present great potential for users with print disabilities to gain access to that might otherwise be inaccessible to them. If their devices are well designed and outfitted with the appropriate e-text formats, users with visual impairments can read e-books using the assistive technology of their choice, such as braille, screen magnifiers, screen readers, or any of the other tools described in chapter 2. The e-book publishing boom, however, has created many e-book formats and e-readers that are inaccessible to those with visual disabilities or, in some cases, hearing or learning disabilities. The most recent digital talking books standards were developed by NISO in 1999, (2) but since then, there has been a lack of updated accessibility performance specifications for e-books and e-texts. The functional performance criteria in the federal Electronic and Information Accessibility Standards (which implemented Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act) and the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG), (3) however, provide useful descriptions of what makes an e-book or e-reader device or app accessible. In his excellent chapter on e-book accessibility in No Shelf Required 2, Ken Petri summarizes both: Meeting Section 508's Functional Performance Criteria demands that a user-facing hardware or software component have at least one mode of operation and retrieval that does not require vision; that accommodates low visual acuity; that does not require hearing and/or can amplify produced sound to compensate for poor hearing; that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous actions; and that is operable with limited reach and strength. WCAG 2.0 is organized around four broad principles: 1. Perceivable: that information and interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. 2. Operable: that user interface components and navigation must be operable. 3. Understandable: that information and the operation of interface must be understandable. 4. Robust: that content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of agents, including assistive technologies (W3C 2010A). (4) The rapid rise of e-reading makes it crucial for librarians and library staff to become familiar with the complex e-text accessibility landscape and learn to understand and recognize these features in order to support their disabled patrons with accessible collections, services, and peripherals. With the goal of facilitating accessible e-reading experiences, this chapter provides an overview of the accessibility landscape of major e-book publishing formats as well as e-reader devices, apps, and software platforms. E-book Formats E-books are created in open and proprietary file formats. Open e-books formats such as DAISY and EPUB are designed to be device-independent--in other words, to be compatible with any e-reader that supports open formats. …

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