Skip to content

PAAG charter

The growing availability of ebooks and other digital publications provides an unprecedented opportunity for persons with print disabilities to enjoy access to mainstream content at the same time, in the same format and at the same price as other readers. UK publishers and authors are eager to explore and develop the advantages that ebooks offer and, in so doing, reach more readers. Ensuring that ebooks are fully accessible, however, will only happen if publishers, authors, developers, platforms and other stakeholders focus on this issue at a practical level.

Our objective is to make all content accessible and to embed accessible practices throughout the publishing ecosystem. Every aspect of the publishing industry is integral to our mission, and we encourage you to consider signing the PAAG Charter for Accessible Publishing to show your commitment to this objective. You can join either as a publisher or as a publishing ally. Join our impressive group of signatories and show your support for this important declaration.

With this in mind, we, the signatories to this charter, hereby commit to:

  1. raising awareness among, and providing training for, relevant staff.
  2. nominating a company “accessibility champion” who can bring together key stakeholders to discuss potential accessibility improvements and act as a liaison for all accessibility information.
  3. publishing our accessibility policy on our website, including our commitment to this Charter.
  4. designating and publicising a point of contact in our organisation to assist persons with disabilities to access alternate formats of our content.
  5. partnering with national and international organisations that provide support for the availability of publications in accessible formats.
  6. incorporating appropriate accessibility features within our digital publications and platforms, according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and other appropriate accessibility standards.
  7. advocating for accessibility standards and collaboration throughout the publishing supply chain from author to reader.
  8. utilising the accessibility metadata opportunities available to aid with the discovery of accessible content.
  9. testing and validating content to ensure it is usable by people with print disabilities. Ideally this would include testing by persons with lived experience.
  10. monitoring our progress in this area and regularly assessing the accessibility of our digital publications and platforms.

If you wish to become a signatory to the Charter for Accessible Publishing, please complete this declaration. 

PAAG charter allies

PAAG Ally Logo

If your role within the publishing industry makes it difficult to align your organisation to all of the publisher-focused principles in the charter, we would be delighted if you would signal your support by becoming a PAAG charter ally. The publishing industry is multi-faceted, and every part of the workflow is integral to creating more accessible, more user-focused content. 

We welcome all stakeholders within the supply chain, from authors to digital content providers, from technical services to educational institutions and charitable bodies. You all play a significant role, and we’d love you to be part of our mission to improve the reading experience for all. If you wish to become an ally, please indicate this on the declaration form. 

Charter signatories

The following organizations have signed the PAAG charter

The following organizations have signed the PAAG charter as allies:

The PAAG charter was inspired by the Accessible Books Consortium charter.