Ebook accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about creating a better reading experience for everyone!


Making your ebooks accessible helps you reach a wider and more diverse audience, provide an inclusive reading experience, and future-proof your content as global accessibility requirements expand.


This article will explain why accessibility matters, outline the key standards, and give you helpful resources for preparing your EPUB files to meet them.


Note: The accessibility status of your ebooks is self-reported. While we offer tools and guidance, it’s your responsibility to ensure your content meets accessibility standards and to report its status accurately.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What Are the EAA and Accessibility Standards?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive from the European Union aimed at improving the accessibility of products and services, including digital content like ebooks, for people with disabilities.


For ebooks, compliance generally means meeting the W3C EPUB Accessibility Standard 1.1 and WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines, which are internationally recognized standards for making web and digital content accessible.


These standards ensure compatibility with screen readers, adjustable text and layouts, meaningful navigation, and more.

Why Do We Need Accessible Ebooks?

Accessible ebooks enrich the reading experience for people who are blind, have low vision, or are color blind, have difficulty holding books or turning pages, are neurodivergent, or have dyslexia.


Check out Inclusive Publishing's guide to getting started with accessible ebooks. 

What Are The Features of Accessible Ebooks?

Accessible ebooks are designed to make reading easier and more flexible for everyone, especially people who use assistive technologies like screen readers, text-to-speech tools, or customized display settings.


Here’s what accessible ebooks offer:

  • Detailed Image Descriptions: Understand images, graphics, and photos through alt-text and long descriptions.
  • Flexible Navigation: Use a structured table of contents, hierarchical titles, indexes, and page lists to move easily through the book and match page numbers to print editions.
  • Customizable Text and Layout: Adjust text size, font, background color, and layout to suit your reading preferences.
  • ScreenReader and TTS Friendly: Built to work smoothly with screen readers, text-to-speech tools, and other assistive technologies.
  • Bookmarks and Highlights: Add bookmarks and save highlighted sections for easy reference.
  • ARIA Roles: Behind the scenes, ARIA roles clarify the meaning of ebook elements, helping assistive tech better understand and navigate the content.


These features not only support readers with disabilities but also make ebooks more user-friendly for everyone. Plus, accessible ebooks include metadata that helps libraries and retailers understand what accessibility features are built in!

Tools to Test and Improve EPUB Accessibility

Here are some free tools to get you started:


EPUB Checker (Ace by DAISY) 

A self-service tool for testing EPUBs against WCAG 2.0 Level AA.


WordToEPUB (by DAISY Consortium)

Convert Word documents to accessible EPUBs.


Access Aide (Calibre Plugin)

Add accessibility features to EPUBs, especially from InDesign.


EU Accessibility How-To Guides

Helpful videos and guides to understanding EPUB accessibility.

Declaring Accessibility in Your Lulu Account

During the Design step of the Project Creation tool, after uploading your EPUB, you will be prompted to declare your EPUB as Accessible or Not Accessible. PDF ebooks will not require a declaration of their Accessibility status, as they will be automatically categorized as Not Accessible. 

  • Accessible: Your EPUB meets the WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines, meaning it’s designed to work well with assistive technologies like screen readers and text-to-speech.
  • Not Accessible: Your EPUB doesn’t fully meet those standards (or you are unsure if it does).


Important: If you’re unsure whether your EPUB is accessible, it’s best to select Not Accessible. This helps keep things clear for your readers and ensures you’re in line with EU compliance requirements.


Please know that you can always update your accessibility status later by revising your project and uploading a new file if your ebook changes!

What Happens If You Mark Your EPUB as Not Accessible?

When creating your EPUB ebook project, you will have the option to mark its accessibility during the Design step. If you mark your EPUB as "Not Accessible", some EU sales channels may no longer offer your ebook for sale to European customers. While this doesn’t affect other regions, it could impact your reach in Europe.