Asking vendors about the accessibility of their e-resource platforms (websites, apps, and reading platforms) ensures that you provide the most inclusive reading experience for library patrons. This is important because not all online services and reading systems have accessibility built into them by design.
Use this checklist when procuring e-resource platforms (websites, apps, or reading platforms) to help you determine if the platforms are accessible. Investing in accessible e-resources at the procurement stage will ensure that they are easier to maintain and upgrade and are more likely to be compatible with assistive technologies.
Evaluating the vendors and companies that libraries purchase from will provide a better idea of how accessible their products will be. If the companies have accessibility policies, employ persons with lived experiences, and have accessibility documentation, it is much likelier that the products they supply libraries are accessible.
The Audiobook Recommendation for Publishers provides guidelines for creating accessible audiobooks. Audiobooks are considered to be accessible, but they are not inherently so. Library staff can use sections of this resource to evaluate the accessibility of audiobooks during procurement.
The Accessibility Features Checklist, created by Accessible Publishing, compiled the features needed to make accessible ebooks. The resource separates the accessibility features into four types of ebooks – general, non-fiction, children’s ebooks, and poetry.
The Accessible Canada Act is “An act to ensure a barrier-free Canada” (Consolidated Federal Laws of Canada, Accessible Canada Act 2019). The act’s purpose is to create an accessible Canada by 2040 by identifying, removing, and preventing accessibility barriers.
The Accessible British Columbia Act, assented on June 17, 2021, outlines accessibility requirements that organizations need to fulfill. This includes creating an accessibility committee, plan, and asking the public for feedback.
We suggest you use this checklist as a guide for library staff when they are starting their accessibility journey or when you provide staff training. The information is summarized from the Accessibility 101 webinar, slides, and the “Quick Reference: Accessibility 101” document.
Documents can be both accessible and inaccessible. It all depends on how it is formatted. This checklist will help you make an accessible and readable document for everyone. The information in this resource is summarized from previous webinars.
Accessibility Insights provides an open-source tool that uncovers accessibility issues in websites and apps. This resource is particularly useful for web developers and those in charge of your library website. Accessibility Insights is available for Android devices, as a browser extension, and for Windows.
Accessible social media posts increase the number of people your information will reach. If your social media is accessible, it reflects positively on your library because you create an inclusive environment for all patrons. Use this checklist to create accessible social media posts!
The Book Riot article, Best Dyslexia-Friendly Books for Kids by Rachel Rosenburg, lists 12 awesome books for people with dyslexia. The books, written and formatted for children with dyslexia, are organized into categories like picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels.
The schema.org accessibility metadata helps readers find content with the accessible features they would like in a publication. The schema.org accessibility metadata can be added to the HTML using Resources Descriptive Framework (RDF), a semantic web standard, or EPUB 2, EPUB 3, and audiobooks to inform users of the accessible elements the content contains.
Created by the Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL) for the Read Harder event, the library compiled a list of recommended books by authors with disabilities. Representation matters, and highlighting books by persons with lived experiences can help provide that representation for persons with disabilities in the library.
The Library Accessibility Features web page by Lisa Kovak discusses the changed libraries can and should make to conform with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The features discussed on this page include materials, programming, equipment and services, and how to contact the library.
The American Library Association encourages members and library staff to create materials that are accessible for both library patrons and co-workers. The accessibility resources they provide cover accessible documents (in Word and PDFs), adding alternative text in different technology platforms, and testing the accessibility of the resources.
Google provides help documentation to guide you through the steps needed to create documents using assistive technologies and how to make accessible documents.
If you are interested in learning more about screen magnification technologies, this resource is a terrific starting point. The AbilityNet factsheet describes what screen magnification software is and does.
The Adaptive Umbrella blog shares information and resources about accessible library programming and services. The blog provides different programming guidelines and ideas for sensory storytimes.
The American Foundation of the Blind (AFB) provides a list of assistive technologies (also known as access technologies) that persons with print disabilities use to consume content. The products page includes a summary of the different technologies as well as the different types and options for each one.