aaup 2016: getting to accessible publishing at the university of michigan press (j. mcglone)
TRANSCRIPT
Getting to Accessible Publishing at the University of Michigan Press
Jonathan McGloneMichigan [email protected]
AAUP 2016 Annual MeetingAccessibility is Accessible: AAUP Design & Production WorkshopJune 16 2016
Goals for the next 20 minutes
Offer a path for presses to follow
Lessons learned from U-M Press’s adventures
Follow Slides at https://goo.gl/ZaEkgC
Accessibility Initiatives prior to 2015-16
Conducted audits on U-M Press website for WCAG 2.0 AA conformance
Provide services for users with print disabilitiesLoC National Library Service
Direct fulfillment
Bookshare
Recruited an accessibility specialist for the Library
U-M Press Accessibility Roadmap
MarchUpdate Author’s Guide
Create samples
2016
MayAdd image descriptions to one book
Require descriptions for select books
JuneEnable sales of EPUB3
Develop QA protocolImprove image samples
July - AugustCreate guide for EPUB creation
Train production staff on new technical requirements
SeptemberAdd A11Y metadata to ONIX feeds
Gather user feedback
NovemberImprove HTML5 output in conversion workflow
Refine QA protocol
DecemberRevise Author’s Guide
Review EPUB creation guideEstablish A11Y Baseline
2017
JulyRequire
descriptions for all books
All books conform to A11Y baseline
accessible
publishing
Task Force
Audit
Author’s Guide
Image Description Guidelines
Production Guidelines
a11y Statement
E-Book Accessibility Task Force
Included representatives from all Michigan Publishing units and the Library’s Accessibility Specialist.
Collectively educated each other on a11y -- researched best practices in accessible publishing, sought training, and consulted with a11y experts on campus and elsewhere.
Task Force was a sub-team to a pre-existing “Operations Group” that met regularly, so we had a channel to communicate our progress
accessible
publishing
Task Force
Audit
Author’s Guide
Image Description Guidelines
Production Guidelines
a11y Statement
E-Book Accessibility Audit
1-2 titles from each discipline/listForeign language
Heavy image use
Mathematics/equations
Notes/endnotes
Tables
Audit EPUB3 using IDPF a11y QA Checklisthttp://www.idpf.org/accessibility/guidelines/content/qa/qa-checklist.php
E-Book Accessibility AuditAlready Doing
Tables not used for layout
Data tables not images
Structurally-significant content grouped in <section> elements
Print page break locations
TOC includes the full structure
Numbered headings reflect document hierarchy
Needing Serious Work
Images lack alt text or descriptions
Not using <fig> or <figcaption> for images
CSS properties sometimes defined with style attribute
epub:type attribute not being used
Better use of semantic markup
Better use of metadata fields to indicate a11y
accessible
publishing
Task Force
Audit
Author’s Guide
Image Description Guidelines
Production Guidelines
a11y Statement
For every image, in addition to the caption, an author must also provide alternative text and description.
Fig. 10 Detail of New York University Child Study Center’s (2007) “Ransom Notes” campaign umbrella advertisement. Photograph by Eduardo Trejos. Reprinted with artist’s permission.
<figure class="fig"> <img src="images/Fig10.jpg" aria-describedby="Fig10-desc" alt="Photograph of Ransom Notes campaign billboard." width="600" height="375" /> <figcaption class="figcap"> <a data-locator="p153" class="page"></a> <span class="fighn">Fig. 10</span> Detail of New York University Child Study Center’s (2007) “Ransom Notes” campaign umbrella advertisement. Photograph by Eduardo Trejos. Reprinted with artist’s permission. <aside class="hidden" id="Fig10-desc"> <p>This image is of a towering billboard. The text on the billboard appears composed of words and letters cut out from a variety of different print sources and pasted together. The text reads:“12 million kids are held hostage by a psychiatric disorder.”</p> </aside> </figcaption></figure>
accessible
publishing
Task Force
Audit
Author’s Guide
Image Description Guidelines
Production Guidelines
a11y Statement
Surrounding TextField of Our Dreams
Field of Our Dreams is a mobile produce market serving the Eastside of Detroit. The market emerged from conversations at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen between artist Nick Tobier and Keith Love and Warren Thomas, local residents and patrons of the kitchen. Once a week, via a converted pickup truck, the market roams through Eastside neighborhoods that are underserved or unserved by grocery stores and that as a result have constrained access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Most of the market’s produce is purchased from wholesale produce distributors using proceeds from previous sales; the market also sells produce from Earthworks’ Youth Garden, which receives all proceeds from these sales.
...
From Andrew Herscher, Unreal Estate Guide to Detroit (2012)
Caption[None]
Alt TextPhotograph of Field of Our Dreams produce stand with staff working at a residential sidewalk corner.
From Andrew Herscher, Unreal Estate Guide to Detroit (2012)
DescriptionThree staff people working at a Field of Our Dreams produce stand. The stand consists of a folding table set up on a residential sidewalk, piled with different size baskets of greens, fruit, and vegetables. One staff worker, a middle-aged Black man in an apron, adjusts a pineapple on the table; a second worker, a Black man, speaks through a megaphone; a third worker, a white woman, looks on and listens. In the background are residential houses of a Detroit neighborhood and cars parked along the street.
Note: In certain cases the author may wish to highlight other elements of the photograph, identify the people pictured, or provide greater context.From Andrew Herscher, Unreal Estate Guide to
Detroit (2012)
accessible
publishing
Task Force
Audit
Author’s Guide
Image Description Guidelines
Production Guidelines
a11y Statement
Accessibility Production Guidelines
Criteria for book cover a11ySteps for adding in alt text, image descriptions, and
markupChanges to Scribe tagging procedures or tags to
utilizeCustom a11y QA checklist for alt text and
descriptionsList of desired to changes to make in the future
Accessibility Production GuidelinesData tables should never be converted into images
Decorative images should have empty alt text
Define languages<span xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts</span>
Define the content of each tag<dl epub:type="glossary">
Include navigation to the smallest heading level
Add accessibility metadata so others know your content is accessible and search engines can find it
accessible
publishing
Task Force
Audit
Author’s Guide
Image Description Guidelines
Production Guidelines
a11y Statement
Accessibility Statement
Short information page that is available from every page on your website
Present clear information about target level of a11yWhat are your initiatives?
What are you working on now?
What are your known a11y problems and how do you plan to address them?
Statement of commitment to a11y
http://www.press.umich.edu/about#accessibility
What doesn’t work?
What doesn’t work?
Reviewing EPUBs on all devices -- instead use epubtest.org
Scope creepHand editing EPUBs
What works?
What works?
Making it an iterative process - start small, iterate often
Collaborating with campus experts and resourcesLeaning on authors for descriptive and alt text
Additional Resources
Slides - https://goo.gl/ZaEkgC
IDPF EPUB3 Accessibility Guidelines
BISG Quick Start Guide to Accessible Publishing
DIAGRAM Center Image Description Guidelines
U-M Press Accessibility Statement
[email protected]@umich.edu