Books without barriers is an illustrated guide to creating accessible publications
Books without barriers outlines the barriers to reading that people with print disability may experience if their needs are not supported, and describes how to avoid creating these barriers at each stage of the publishing process.
The guide is in four parts:
- Planning for inclusive publishing – the diverse ways in which the audience reads, developing an accessibility policy for publishers, and planning the publishing workflow
- Developing content – writing and editing, creating accessible tables, considerations for mathematics and science, and considerations for children’s books
- Describing images and tables – how to write image descriptions, the steps involved in drafting them, and examples of descriptions for different types of illustration
- Producing accessible books – design, digital formats, audiobooks, and testing and reviewing for quality assurance.
The appendices include a style sheet template for accessibility best practice and a glossary.
Books without barriers is written and designed by members of IPEd’s Accessibility Initiative Working Party, and reviewed by publishers and researchers specialising in digital, audio, tactile and print formats, individuals with print disability, and writers and editors with experience in a range of publishing genres. It co-published by the Institute of Professional Editors and the Australian Publishers Association, with support from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
Download Books without barriers
You can download Books without barriers in the following formats: