Check textbook accessibility

Textbooks must meet digital accessibility standards, just like other elements of your course. In most cases, faculty will not need to personally validate textbook accessibility, but should work with the vendor or publisher to verify accessibility. This guide outlines some of the most common accessibility barriers present in textbooks and includes suggested questions to ask your publisher when considering your textbook.

Accessible textbooks allow students, regardless of dis/ability, to access the same information with comparable ease, autonomy, and independence. They offer adaptable formats and compatibility with assistive technologies to support a wide range of learning and access needs. It is absolutely necessary to ensure that your textbooks and course materials comply with accessibility standards, including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Accessible textbooks are often available in digital formats, but not all e-textbooks or online learning systems are accessible. While colleges and universities are required to meet accessibility standards, publishers are not required to produce accessible resources. Therefore, we recommend checking the accessibility of your textbook and any publisher-provided ancillary materials or online resources.

Some accessibility features, such as video captions, are easy to identify and check. Others require specialized knowledge or technical skills to evaluate. Therefore, we recommend contacting your textbook publisher or vendor contact to ask the following questions. Not all of these questions will apply to every textbook or publisher platform. Remember to ask about the exact textbook or platform you use (including edition number) because accessibility can vary across titles or editions.

1. Vendor documentation: Do you have a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), or other accessibility compliance statement?
   A VPAT is a template organizations use to document how well a product meets accessibility standards. An ACR is a completed report based on a VPAT. If the publisher doesn’t have a VPAT, ACR, or other documentation about the product’s accessibility, contact OAI for help evaluating the accessibility of your textbook or platform.

2. Captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions: Do the videos have both accurate captions and audio descriptions? Are transcripts available for audio recordings?
3. Screen-reader accessibility: Can all of the text that is displayed on the screen be read aloud by screen reader software? Which screen readers have you tested, and what limitations, if any, were identified?

4. Timer settings: Can instructors adjust or reset timers for individual students on assignments or assessments?
5. Question banks: Are questions included in question banks accessible? Do images include alternative text? Are all question types accessible?
6. Keyboard navigation: Can students navigate and use all activities with a keyboard alone (without using a mouse)?
   It is required that any interactive elements on the publisher’s website be operable by a keyboard alone if they are used in your course. For example, a drag-and-drop exercise may not be accessible to students using a keyboard instead of a mouse unless it provides a keyboard alternative. If an activity cannot be completed using a keyboard, consider whether you should use it in your course.
7. Mobile access: Does your tool work on mobile devices? Is it optimized for mobile devices?
   Your students use mobile devices all the time, so it’s important that they can access your course content from their phones and tablets as well. It’s also important to confirm that content displays correctly and is functional on smaller screens.

If you are using materials through the PSU library, contact your subject librarian for assistance verifying their accessibility. If you encounter an accessibility barrier when using a resource from the library, report the issue through the library accessibility form.