E-Book Accessibility
We aim to purchase e-book platforms and publisher content which are accessible to all students. Within this guide you will find a link to the accessibility statement for each platform.
If e-book platforms or publisher resources are not compatible with your assistive software, please see our alternative formats service available for students registered with Student Health and Wellbeing
E-book formats
A summary of the accessibility features and characteristics of the available formats:
HTML
E-books in HTML format for reading online have the following benefits:
- Usually accessible to text-to-speech and screen reading software.
- Can usually be copied and pasted, increasing usability.
- It's quicker and more straightforward to access e-books online without needing to download them.
- Useful for people who cannot open downloaded files on their device.
PDF online
E-books as PDF documents for reading online have the following benefits:
- E-books formatted as PDF files can be similar in appearance and layout to a print book, which some people prefer over reading HTML text.
- The option to read e-books online without having to download them makes it quicker and more straightforward to access them.
- Useful for people who cannot open downloaded files on their device.
PDF download
E-books as downloadable PDF files have the following benefits:
- Downloadable PDF files which have been structured for accessibility can be navigated by screen reading software, meaning they are accessible to blind and low vision users.
- They also allow the user to benefit from inbuilt accessibility features in PDF reader software such as Adobe Reader. These include:
- Enlarging text
- Reflow
- Changing font and background colours
- Text-to-speech functionality
Find out more about PDF accessibility and making adjustments in Adobe Reader.
EPUB and EPUB3
E-books in EPUB3 format have the following benefits:
- The ability to present the final text in a range of ways that can be adapted to suit the user.
- EPUBs are created with accessibility in mind and to a set of standards.
See Text-to-speech reading support for EPUB-compatible reading tools.
Thank you to the E-book Audit 2016 for allowing us to reproduce and adapt this list.
