As a publisher, you want to reach as many readers as possible. You want to ensure that your content is fairly exploited and that you and your authors are compensated.
Digital formats such as eBooks have huge potential to give people with print impairments unprecedented access to books, while helping you to grow your market.
We hope this business case will convince you of the need to incorporate accessibility into your publishing strategy - and of the many benefits to be gained from doing so.
"There are good commercial, ethical and legal reasons for publishers to increase the accessibility of all publications, whether print or digital. Every publisher - whether large or small, for profit or not - can do this."
Alicia Wise, Director of Universal Access, Elsevier
Commercial factors
An ageing population wants to keep reading, and consumers increasingly want to read electronically on a range of devices. Accessibility can be seamlessly incorporated into your digital workflows and products without additional cost. This will allow you to reach more readers, regardless of their individual needs, broadening your potential market.
Mobile reading
eBooks can be read on a wide range of devices, from dedicated eBook readers to smartphones. If your company is reformatting new or existing content to optimise the reading experience on small screens, it is easy to simultaneously add information that creates a fuller reading experience for all readers, including those with print impairments.
The 'grey' pound
The book industry relies heavily on the 'mature' buyer (those aged 61 plus). In 2008, mature buyers accounted for around a third of all books purchased, despite representing only a fifth of the population.
The proportion of people with sight problems rises steeply from around 1 in 30 in the population as a whole to around 1 in 5 in the older age group.
Research shows that it was mature buyers who were the main early adopters of dedicated eBook readers. Anecdotal feedback suggests that the ability to increase font size was a big factor in their adoption. Our information resource for eBook readers compared gives details of which devices have accessible features.
Print impairment figures
It is estimated that one in eight people in the UK struggle to enjoy standard print books due to sight loss, dyslexia, or a disability that makes it difficult to hold a book or turn a page. People with these conditions who struggle to enjoy standard print books can be collectively described as having a print impairment.
Sight loss
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Almost two million people live with sight problems
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100 people a day start to lose their sight
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One in five older people have sight loss which affects their day-to-day living.
Further sight loss statistics
Dyslexia
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One in 10 people are dyslexic to varying degrees of severity
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1.2 million are school children
Ethical factors
We believe that people with print impairments should have access to the same book at the same time and the same price as everyone else. This applies to school children and students who need textbooks and learning materials. It also applies to people who want to read the latest thriller by their favourite author, the political memoir that everyone's talking about, or the more obscure titles that aren't at the top of the bestseller charts.
Find out how blind and partially sighted people read.
Research
The number of titles available to blind and partially sighted people is unacceptably low in comparison to the range that sighted people enjoy.
Our 2011 research shows that just 7 per cent of all books are available in braille, audio and large print, including titles available in these formats using eBooks.
Traditionally, people with print impairments have had to rely on specialist provision, such as that provided by organisations like RNIB.
Without eBooks, only 15 per cent of 2010's most popular books and just 0.25 per cent of all books were fully accessible.
Specialist provision
RNIB can only transcribe around 1,000 books a year into formats such as RNIB Talking Books (DAISY format), braille and large print. So, if you are a keen reader and rely on specialist provision, you have restricted choice.
Mainstream provision
Increasingly, mainstream publishers can meet the needs of people with print impairments directly as downloads make the production of unabridged audiobooks more viable and eBooks become increasingly popular and accessible.
Inclusive society
New technology is changing the expectations of blind and partially sighted consumers and creating a more inclusive society. Products like Amazon's Kindle Keyboard and Apple idevices can allow print impaired readers to access the same book at the same time and the same price as everyone else, and to read books in a way that suits their individual needs.
Watch our film of what blind and partailly sighted users of eBooks think of them.
eBooks and text to speech
The Publishers Association, The Society of Authors, The Association of Authors' Agents and The Right to Read Alliance have recommended that publishers routinely enable text to speech on all eBooks, at least where there is no audiobook edition commercially available.
While many publishers already enable text to speech on all their eBooks as standard, it is hoped that this recommendation will encourage all publishers to reach more readers by enabling text to speech on their eBooks.
A wide range of synthetic voices are available and you can compare these by
listening to various examples. Text to speech delivers a different experience to a reader in comparison to a human voice audio book.
Legal factors
In terms of access to books, blind and partially sighted people are protected by disability legislation and copyright legislation.
Disability legislation
The Equality Act 2010 came into force in the UK on 1 October 2010, replacing the Disability Discrimination Act. Under the Act, it is unlawful for the providers of goods and services (including publishers) to discriminate against disabled people by refusing to provide a service, in the standard manner, or on terms on which the goods or services are provided.
Service providers must also provide auxiliary aids and services (such as information in an alternative format) where this would enable or facilitate the use of a service by a disabled person.
Copyright legislation
The Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002 amends the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 to allow for the making of:
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accessible copies by individuals for personal use
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multiple accessible copies by approved bodies (such as RNIB).
An individual making an accessible copy under the Act must be in lawful possession of a published edition of a work and there must be no accessible copy commercially available.
Under the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations, where the application of a technical protection measure (TPM) to a copyrighted work prevents a person from carrying out a permitted act, such as the making of an accessible copy, then the individual or a representative body may issue a compliance notice to the Secretary of State.
Next steps
Feedback
How did we do, are you convinced by this business case?
To give us feedback or to let us know how we can improve this site, contact publisheradvice@rnib.org.uk or phone 020 7391 2150.