Creating accessible documents will become the norm in the future, and hence there is a need to build accessibility standards into existing publishing workflows, says Greg Suprock, Head of Solutions Architecture at Apex.
For publishers, the need to create accessible publications is both an opportunity—in terms of reaching a wider audience—and a challenge—in terms of cost of systems and process change. However, publishers using, or on track to adopt, XML-first workflows are well positioned to create accessible publications that meet current accessibility requirements by incorporating an iterative change process into their existing systems.
Publishers can ensure that they enrich documents by enhancing semantic tagging and thereby improve navigation and logical reading order. They can add descriptions to graphics that would enable an assistive reading tool to interpret text explanations of images or graphics for its user.
Additionally, publishers should engage with authors, as they have the expertise to create high-quality image descriptions and supplementary materials, and vendors, as they are a reliable alternative to source alt text and descriptions.
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