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Definitions and rationales for Accessibility Metadata
Please add the definitions and rationales for the following accessibility metadata. After we are satisfied with the definitions and rationales, we will move these to Metadata Principles Document at (https://w3c.github.io/publ-a11y/UX-Guide-Metadata/principles/).
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Assigned to: Madeleine
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Definition: A Yes/No/Unknown answer to the question "Can a screen-reader user read this book?". This can be based on a combination of metadata fields, if needed, that establish that the primary content of the book is available in true text and is not an image of text.
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Rationale: Most available digital books include their content in true text and can report that they are screen reader friendly. Exceptions would include books where critical content is included only in images, such as graphs, charts, or equations presented as images, and books with a fixed appearance created by having an image of each page instead of true text.
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Assigned to: Madeleine
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Definition: An indication that this resource is an audiobook which is designed to be used by listening. This designation can be applied if text will also appear on a display as long as it is not required to use the book.
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Rationale: Audiobooks are considered optimized publications. They may not meet all accessibility requirements if they lack visible text, but they provide access to the text for specific users who require audio, including users with dyslexia or visual impairments. Providing a way for users to search a collection for audiobooks will support these users, and including this information in the metadata displayed will also alert users for whom audio is inaccessible. This piece of metadata should be included only if the value is "Yes". Since most ebooks available are not audiobooks, it is only important to include for those books that are audiobooks.
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Assigned to: George
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Definition: A plain language explanation of the overall accessibility of the publication. The accessibility summary should contain information that would make it easy for an end user to determine if the publication is accessible to them. Educators would also be able to determine if the publication was accessible for use in a classroom or an online course.
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Rationale: A human readable description is needed to be available for an end user or an educational professional to determine if the title will be accessible to them personally, or to the students. It should be easy to read and understand if it will be suitable for use by persons with disabilities. This determination must be made before the end user purchases or selects the title, and must be determined before a title is selected for a course.
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Assigned to: George (include URI information, EPUB 1.0 is one option)
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Definition: The EPUB Accessibility Conformance and Discovery Specification places requirements on the content and on the metadata. To be identified as accessible, the content must meet at a minimum WCAG 2.0 at a level "A," and "AA" is recommended. In addition, the content must meet the EPUB requirements for an accessible publication. The required metadata must be present to support discovery of accessible publications or optimized publications designed for a particular group, and the optional metadata is recommended.
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Rationale: Discovery metadata enables publications to have their accessibility exposed regardless of the overall accessibility of the publication. A publication optimized for a particular group, such as an audio book, would not meet WCAG 2.0, but it would be fully accessible to many people. The conformance metadata details the accessibility of the publication, which allows end users and educators to evaluate the suitability of the publication for individuals.
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Assigned to: Charles
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Definition: The Certified By property specifies the name of the party that certified the content. The certifier of the content could be the same party that created the EPUB Publication, but can also be a third party accessibility certifier.
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Rationale: When an EPUB claims that it conforms to a the Accessibility 1.0 Specification reaching a certain level of WCAG conformance the party making this assertion must be identified.
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Example: Certified By: Acme Publishing Inc.
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Assigned to: Charles
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Definition: If the party that certifies the content has been issued a credential or badge that establishes their authority to certify content as accessible, this certification information can be provided.
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Rationale: Stating that the organization certifying this content as accessible and conforms to the Accessibility 1.0 specification has a credential recognized by the community gives a higher level of trust as to the accuracy of the conformance level reached.
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Example: Certifiers Credential: A+ Accessibility Rating
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Assigned to: Gregorio
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Definition: The certifier’s report is important in the case of certification by third party bodies (not needed in case of self-certified files). It is a URL pointing to a web page where the certifier publishes the accessibility features in the document.
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Rationale: Third-party organizations may publish an online report to ensure the quality of accessibility in the document. This is very important as accessibility metadata can be generated by anyone, while an authoritative web page ensures the quality of the work done. The User Interface should display a link to the report. Comment by Gregorio: Let’s consider together whether to keep this comment or not
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Assigned to: Gregorio
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Definition: List of possible resources that could be physiologically dangerous for some users (e.g. flashing elements, background sounds, motion simulation, etc.)
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Rationale: Unlike other accessibility properties, the presence of hazards can be expressed either positively or negatively. This design decision was made because users are more often looking for content that is safe for them. Do not hide the hazard warning just because an EPUB publication does not contain any content that may present a risk.
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Assigned to: Avneesh
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Definition: Indicates that the publication is inaccessible, and is known to lack significant features required for broad accessibility.
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Rationale: It enables a publisher to declare that the publication has significant accessibility issues so that people with accessibility needs can make right decision, for example a publication consisting of only pictorial representations without textual equivalents.
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Assigned to: Avneesh
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Definition: It is a pointer to show the listing of all the accessibility metadata of the publication. It can be a hyperlink to another page or can be listed in HTML summary/details element. It should include metadata for accessibilityFeature, accessibilityHazard, accessMode, accessModeSufficient and all the accessibility metadata and conformance metadata listed above.
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Rationale: A complete list of accessibility metadata is important for advance users who would like to know presence of specific accessibility features in the publication. This listing is also important for verification of the user friendly interpretation of the accessibility metadata.