Guidelines on Accessibility Metadata. How to distribute accessible digital publications
These guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for integrating accessibility metadata into the core strategies and workflows of publishing companies and digital distribution systems.
10 December 2025
The Guidelines on Accessibility Metadata, developed under the coordination of Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and Fondazione LIA, provide a comprehensive framework for integrating accessibility metadata into the core strategies and workflows of publishing companies and digital distribution systems.
The document equips all actors involved in creating, distributing, and presenting digital publications with concrete recommendations for implementing and displaying accessibility metadata. It outlines how organizations can embed accessibility metadata creation into their editorial, technical, and commercial workflows and how end-user-oriented display guidelines can improve transparency and user experience across online bookstores and library catalogues.
The APACE guidelines are available for translation into additional languages in order to facilitate their adoption across different national contexts. Organisations or stakeholders interested in translating or adapting the material are invited to contact the APACE team at apace@fondazionelia.org for further guidance and coordination.
