On 23rd of April we celebrated world book and copyright day. A good moment to also promote the accessible publishing guidelines. Read the article from EBU‘s culture network.
In October 2018, the EU ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization, to facilitate access to published works for people who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled.
- The EU effectively became a party to the treaty as of 1 January 2019, committing to set mandatory limitations and exceptions for the benefit of the blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print disabled.
As we celebrate world book Day, it is a good occasion to flag up our right to participate in cultural life, the right to access information and to books in accessible format.
The European Accessibility Act brings, from June 2025, an obligation to make a selection of products and services accessible, including e-books.
Many initiatives prepared publishers over the last year through manuals, workshops and guidelines for technical staff to learn in a very practical way how to create accessible e-books from the source. In many countries those initiatives were taken or supported by the national libraries for visually impaired and print disabled readers.
Some may be willing to translate their step-by-step manuals into English.
The international guidelines may help you promote accessible e-books with your national publishers. Please share widely.