Summary and Key Insights from the European Accessibility Summer School

Summary of main themes and focus areas

The programme was carefully structured around core thematic pillars that reflect the comprehensive scope of the APACE initiative and the broader accessible digital publishing ecosystem.

Legislative framework and European success stories

The event started with round table The European Accessibility Act is here. Now what? That gathered four female leading voices from across the European publishing landscape to reflect on the post-transposition phase of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

Inmaculada Placencia Porrero, Senior Expert in Disability and Inclusion at Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, outlined via video the current state of play and the path forward. She reaffirmed that accessibility is not only a fundamental human right under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but also a structural necessity for economic and social participation. She outlined that the EAA provides a harmonized framework for accessibility requirements, particularly for digital products and services like e-books, bringing both legal clarity and cross-border coherence. She encouraged economic operators, even those beyond the Act’s formal scope, to adopt accessibility practices as a quality driver that benefits all users. 

Anne Bergman-Tahon, Director Federation European Publishers, via video as well, emphasized the central role of collaboration and knowledge sharing across the publishing industry in the successful implementation of the EAA. She underscored that the publishing sector began addressing accessibility even prior to the Directive’s adoption in 2019. She highlighted both the readiness and the challenges facing publishers, particularly in adapting complex works and ensuring the necessary skills throughout the supply chain.

Cristina Mussinelli, Secretary General Fondazione LIA, highlighted the importance of adopting an ecosystem approach rather than focusing on isolated steps. She stressed the need for coordination among publishers, accessibility experts, libraries, standards organizations, and technology providers. Her presentation began with an overview of the work carried out by Fondazione LIA, the Italian non-profit that has been fostering a culture of accessibility in publishing for over a decade and now brings together more than 30 members.

Acknowledging the crucial contributions of organizations like W3C, DAISY, EDItEUR, she explained how Fondazione LIA has been working to align accessibility standards with the legal requirements of the Directive, ensuring publishers have a clear and reliable path to compliance. The concept of “Born Accessible” was central to her message: producing one digital file that can serve all readers, including those with print disabilities. She highlighted practical advancements, including work with Adobe on InDesign accessibility and the crucial role of Quality Assurance. Above all, she emphasized the importance of clearly defining roles and responsibilities among actors in the ecosystem to prevent overlap and confusion. 

Kristina Kramer, Deputy Director for European and International Affairs Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, discussed the experience of Börsenverein, which launched an Accessibility Task Force involving over 40 stakeholders from the German-speaking market. Participants included publishers, metadata providers, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and representatives from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The Task Force collaborated closely with institutions such as the German Library for the Blind and international partners including Fondazione LIA and the DAISY Consortium in organizing working groups on EPUB, PDF, metadata, and backlist accessibility, hosting awareness events and publishing extensive FAQs and guidelines.

Publishers' strategies and accessible content production

A central focus of the event was the operational integration of accessibility in content production workflows. Starting from an overview of the APACE European analysis on skills gaps, participants gained insight into the organizational, technical, and cultural shifts required to embed accessibility at the heart of publishing operations through case studies from leading publishers such as Mondadori Education and Politikens Forlag in the round table Beyond compliance and checklists: how to build a culture of accessibility. 

Alessandra Porcelli, Strategic Publishing Consultant & Learning Consultant at Mondadori Education’s Accessibility PMO, and Tobias Giversen, Digital Project Manager at Politikens Forlag shared valuable lessons and insights on what it truly means to integrate accessibility as a core value in a publisher’s strategy, and the results that have already been achieved.

Alessandra Porcelli talked about how Mondadori Education Division, comprising Mondadori Education, Rizzoli Education, and DeA Scuola, has undertaken a unified, cross-company initiative to implement accessibility in educational publishing, specifically in the context of school textbooks. This strategic project was initiated in response to the EAA and has since evolved into a wide-ranging organizational transformation. A dedicated working group was established with representatives from e-book production, pre-press, platform management, and R&D. A key enabler of the initiative has been a comprehensive training programme, launched in collaboration with Fondazione LIA, and targeting not only production and editorial teams but also marketing and managerial roles. The project emphasized the importance of embedding accessibility within a broader organizational vision, ensuring that all stakeholders understood their role in contributing to long-term strategic outcomes. The initiative demonstrates how accessibility can act as a lever not only for compliance, but for organizational renewal, innovation, and long-term digital competitiveness within the educational publishing sector.

Tobias Giversen, Digital Project Manager at Politikens Forlag, has spearheaded the company’s transition to accessible e-book production over the past two years. Operating within one of Denmark’s largest trade publishers—with an annual output of 300 titles across fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, children’s books, and more—Giversen adopted a bottom-up approach that has since evolved into a strategic transformation, influencing both internal workflows and national accessibility frameworks.

Initially driven by regulatory requirements under the EAA, the initiative rapidly expanded in scope, including personal upskilling, external consultancy engagement. The transition catalysed a broader cultural shift within the publishing house, placing new emphasis on workflow documentation, quality assurance, and cross-departmental cohesion. Now entering a second phase, Politikens Forlag is focused on scaling its accessibility infrastructure, refining processes based on operational experience, and expanding internal capacity. What began as a regulatory response has become a cornerstone of the company’s digital publishing strategy, helping shape broader conversations on accessible publishing at both national and European levels.

Their insights were complemented by other European examples of how accessibility can be implemented across diverse publishing contexts. 

Alisa Žarkova, Head of the Publishing Department at the Lithuanian Audiosensory Library (LAB), presented the institution’s ongoing efforts to promote accessible publishing in Lithuania, underlining both strategic initiatives and practical outcomes. In recent years LAB has made significant strides in promoting EPUB 3 as an accessible digital format, aiming to embed accessibility from the earliest stages of the publishing process. “Our goal,” Žarkova noted, “is to encourage publishers to think about accessibility from the very beginning.” She also shared that LAB launched a national public awareness campaign under the slogan “The must-read book is the one everyone can read”, organized within the framework of APACE. The campaign introduced also a character called the EPUB, developed to explain the format's features and benefits to the general public in an accessible, engaging way.

Miia Kirsi, accessibility specialist at Celia, together with Leena Rautjärvi, publication specialist and accessibility lead at Helsinki University Press (HUP), presented their collaborative work aimed at improving the accessibility of data visualizations. The project focuses on charts, diagrams, infographics, and other non-photographic images, addressing not only alt text and extended descriptions, but also the visual accessibility of the images themselves. Their joint efforts exemplify how sustained collaboration between accessibility organizations and publishers can foster significant progress in inclusive academic publishing. As Kirsi noted, “Projects like APACE are invaluable because we get to work with peers facing similar challenges and grow together.”

The theme of accessible content production was addressed also during aPitch your accessibility pain session led by Gregorio Pellegrino, Chief Accessibility Officer at Fondazione LIA, and focused on common challenges encountered by publishers in creating truly accessible digital publications. This interactive session invited participants to share real-life obstacles from their production workflows, with a particular emphasis on persistent issues such as PDF accessibility, backlist management, educational ebooks, and mathematical content. Key topics discussed include:

• Accessibility limitations of PDF format;
• Access barriers in Learning Management Systems (LMS);
• Integration of mathematical content (MathML);
• Workflow, tool, and cost-related constraints.

Standards, tools and innovation

One standout session was “Nobody Puts Accessibility in a Corner”, a live interview, conducted by Elisa Molinari, Project manager of APACE, to Gregorio Pellegrino, Chief Accessibility Officer at Fondazione LIA. 

Pellegrino is a leading voice in accessible publishing and co-editor of several key documents, including the W3C EPUB Accessibility 1.1, the Accessibility Metadata Display Guide for Digital Publications 2.0, and the EPUB Accessibility - EU Accessibility Act Mapping. He also leads the DAISY Consortium's "Accessible EPUB from InDesign Expert Group" providing expert advice to Adobe to enhance the accessibility of EPUBs exported from InDesign. 

The interview brought a macro-level and standards-driven viewpoint to complement the topics addressed in the other panels as it provided the context of standards evolution, technical tools, and global coordination, which are essential for framing the larger ecosystem around which internal company transformations are happening. 

At the heart of this shift lies a coordinated effort to align international standards, tools, and metadata practices, ensuring that accessibility is embedded at every stage of the content supply chain.

The interview provided a comprehensive overview of recent achievements and emerging priorities in accessible digital publishing. 

Key accomplishments included the development of accessibility standards and reference documents such as EPUB Accessibility 1.1, the Metadata Display Guide 2.0, and the EPUB Accessibility – EU Accessibility Act Mapping. These initiatives exemplify a coordinated effort to align standards across the supply chain in support of EAA compliance, while also positioning accessibility as a driver of innovation.

The importance of practical tools and workflows was also underscored. Pellegrino noted how the work of the Accessible EPUB from InDesign Expert Group has significantly improved the possibility to produce accessible reflowable EPUBs directly from InDesign, reducing the need for post-processing and enhancing mainstream publishing practices.

Finally, Pellegrino emphasized the ongoing shift from specialized formats to Born Accessible content as a major milestone in inclusive publishing. A key remaining challenge lies in ensuring that end users are clearly informed about the accessibility features available in digital publications and reading systems. 

Image Description

Image description was identified as one of the most technically and contextually complex areas of accessibility. During a dedicated Pitch your accessibility pain session, participants discussed the evolving role of AI-assisted workflows, the importance of human oversight, and the need to balance user needs across educational and trade publishing. The discussion reflected the broader debate around the integration of AI in accessible publishing.

The session on image description was led by Anke Kersten, image specialist at Dedicon. Kersten has actively contributed to APACE initiatives in the past, including the seminar “Bringing stories to life: Inclusive strategies for accessible illustrations in children’s books and more” and the Accessibility Meet-Up on Image Description, both held during the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Key topics included:

• the relevance of context;
• the appropriate level of detail;
• varying user needs;
• differences between trade and educational publishing;
• the use of AI and importance of human oversight;
• the division of responsibility within the publishing workflow.

Distribution and accessibility metadata

The second day focused on how accessible digital publications reach readers. A keynote speech by Christopher Saynor, Standards editor EDItEUR, focused on the role of accessibility metadata in enabling compliance with the EAA. 

He emphasized the non-negotiable importance of metadata in the digital accessibility chain, noting that accessibility must be "visible" to readers through metadata to be effective. Key questions raised included:

• Who is liable if metadata are incorrect?
• What happens if a reader purchases a title based on inaccurate accessibility metadata?
• How do metadata function across different jurisdictions (e.g., EAA vs. ADA in the U.S.)?

Metadata play a dual role: they support machine-to-machine communication (e.g., retailer platforms, libraries) and provide human-readable information so users with specific needs can make informed decisions. The core of the presentation explored how the ONIX standard enables the expression of accessibility information using controlled vocabularies and code lists. 

He pointed out that metadata alone is insufficient if not properly displayed. He referenced current initiatives by W3C and the Fondazione LIA to establish best practices for the user-facing display of accessibility metadata. These guidelines aim to ensure that readers can clearly understand the features of a publication and its compatibility with assistive technologies.

The following round table Mainstreaming Accessible Distribution brought together for the first time four key industry stakeholders, Bookwire, Rakuten Kobo, De Marque, and Amazon, to share their experiences, strategies, and challenges in implementing accessibility metadata across the digital publishing supply chain. Each intervention shed light on how different actors, from service providers to global retailers, are adapting to the requirements of the EAA and advancing inclusive practices across platforms and regions. 

Presenting accessibility metadata in a consistent and understandable way across platforms will greatly improve the purchasing and reading experience for all. In this context, the recent W3C User Experience Guides for Displaying Accessibility Metadata 2.0 represented a significant milestone. Nina Rubach, Senior Platform Product Manager Bookwire,presented Bookwire’s proprietary platform, Bookwire OS highlighting the company’s proactive efforts to integrate accessibility metadata into its workflows. She emphasized the complexity and nuance of integrating accessibility metadata across multiple formats and platforms, highlighting that ongoing dialogue with stakeholders is essential to building tools that are both legally compliant and practically usable.

Virginie Bouilhac, Director, Content Management Kobo, outlined the Kobo’s sustained efforts in implementing accessibility across its digital retail infrastructure, with a focus on both technical development and collaboration with publishers and partners. In 2019, the company underwent a full accessibility audit of its website and digital services. This audit led to extensive redesigns of the purchase interface, improvements in colour contrast, and enhancements to ensure screen-reader compatibility. Accessibility considerations are now systematically embedded in all new development, following a “accessibility-by-default” approach. In addition, Kobo has actively collaborated with publishers and distribution partners to facilitate the accurate transmission and use of accessibility metadata via ONIX. Over the past three years, Kobo has tracked ONIX metadata submissions to identify publishers engaged in accessibility, evaluate the completeness and accuracy of the metadata provided, and detect common issues. 

Dani Molina, Operation and Support Specialist De Marque, emphasized De Marque’s commitment to Born Accessible principles, stressing that accessibility must be integrated from the earliest stages of content creation. The company has updated its systems to accept and display ONIX accessibility metadata and redesigned its publisher interface to indicate metadata completeness. 

Bruna Benvegnù,Senior Product Manager, Books Publisher Experience at Amazon, stressed the need to ground accessibility efforts in industry-wide standards, citing the W3C Display Guide as a key resource. She noted that, as of March 31st, Amazon has rolled out new accessibility metadata across all ingestion methods—ONIX, Excel, and the P2K/KEP interface—and is now focusing on expanding publisher adoption, monitoring metadata quality, and strengthening partnerships with organizations such as Fondazione LIA, DAISY, and EDItEUR.

Together, these four interventions demonstrate the progresses being made across the digital publishing landscape to improve accessibility metadata and align with both legal requirements and user needs. While challenges remain, particularly around metadata extraction, consistency, and publishers training, the session revealed strong momentum toward harmonized practices, technical innovation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. These efforts are not only enabling compliance with the EAA but are also enhancing the discoverability and usability of accessible content for readers worldwide.

User journey

The session Accessible eBooks at Readers’ Fingertips: How Do Accessible eBooks Reach Readers?, featured a live demonstration by Gautier Chomel, Project manager European Digital Reading Lab, of how to purchase, borrow, and read an accessible e-book using Thorium Reader, EDRLab’s open-source reading application. The session provided valuable insight into the end-user experience, underscoring the importance of seamless, accessible pathways from content production to content consumption. He showcased how accessible e-books can reach end-users through open, interoperable, and standards-based solutions. His intervention emphasized the crucial role of robust infrastructure, intuitive interfaces, and trustworthy metadata in ensuring that accessibility is not lost in the final step of the publishing chain: reader’s interaction. 

Ensuring the accessible distribution and display of e-books is a cornerstone in building a more inclusive future for all readers. As accessibility moves from a niche concern to a mainstream requirement, it is essential that the rich content and metadata provided by publishers is accurately preserved, conveyed, and presented throughout the digital supply chain. To achieve this, every part of the ecosystem must play its role: from metadata creation to distribution platforms and reading systems. These components must not only meet legal obligations but also empower users by clearly informing them of accessibility features and enabling them to unlock the full capabilities of their e-books.

Libraries

Libraries play a pivotal role in the accessible publishing ecosystem, not only as repositories of content but as essential access gateways for readers with disabilities. Several speeches during the Summer School highlighted how they are evolving to meet new accessibility standards, while also promoting inclusive user experiences. The role of libraries as critical nodes in the accessibility chain was explored in particular through the experiences of Casalini Libri and MediaLibraryOnLine (MLOL) in the round table Libraries: where accessibility happens. These players highlighted how accessibility is becoming a strategic priority in the curation, delivery, and user support of digital collections. Their work illustrates how libraries are evolving from content distributors to active facilitators of inclusive access.

In particular, Luisa Gaggini, as Head of e-Content and Partners Relations at Casalini Libri, the major supplier of Southern European scholarly content to libraries and institutions worldwide, addressed how publishers and library suppliers are responding to accessibility requirements across both EU and non-EU countries. She has observed increasing emphasis on accessibility in tender specifications, with platforms and services that meet accessibility criteria gaining competitive advantage. This trend is influencing strategic decisions across the company and underlining the growing importance of accessible infrastructure in the library ecosystem. She also talked about metadata interoperability. Although standards like ONIX and MARC can carry accessibility-related metadata, there remains a significant gap in implementation. She stressed that while industry discussions are progressing, practical interoperability between publishing metadata and library systems is still at an early stage.

Francesco Pandini, Project Manager at Horizons Unlimited, presented the accessibility strategies of MediaLibraryOnLine (MLOL), Europe’s leading digital lending platform. He demonstrated how MLOL and its reader app integrate accessibility, how information is effectively communicated to end-users, and how the platform supports librarians and readers through training and outreach.

Launched in 2009, MLOL provides access to a vast and diverse catalogue. The platform allows libraries to tailor digital collections to their users' needs by selecting specific services or content types, such as e-books, audiobooks, or newsstand access. Accessibility has been a significant focus for MLOL since around 2014. The platform began by incorporating Fondazione LIA indicators to identify accessible titles. Each accessible e-book displays the LIA logo, linking to detailed information about its accessibility features. In addition, MLOL introduced a dedicated search filter to help users and librarians locate accessible materials more efficiently. One of the most substantial innovations was the launch of MLOL eBook Reader, a dedicated reading and listening app released in October 2021. Recognizing that accessibility is a continuous process rather than a finite task, MLOL maintains an updated section on its website detailing the current state of accessibility across its services. The company also invests in capacity-building initiatives through training programs and webinars.

Academic and educational platforms

The programme also included contributions from academic and educational publishers operating their own digital platforms, such as Il Mulino and Sanoma Italia. These case studies demonstrated how “accessibility by design” principles can be effectively applied within complex publishing environments. Like libraries, digital platforms serve as critical enablers of access, ensuring that users can engage with content in inclusive and flexible ways. 

The conversation focused on the strategic and technical approaches publishers are adopting to align their digital environments with the EAA. 

Paolo Casarini, IT Director, and Paolo Pancaldi, Full Stack Developer, from Il Mulino provided valuable insights into how accessibility has been strategically integrated into their digital publishing platforms.

Il Mulino is a leading academic publisher in Italy, specializing in the humanities, economics, and social sciences. To support its readership and enhance digital access, Il Mulino has developed three major platforms: Rivistaweb, Pandoracampus, and Darwinbooks.

The speakers highlighted how accessibility is embedded at every stage of their editorial and production workflows. Accessibility is not treated as a post-development add-on, but rather as a foundational principle integrated across all levels of the company. This includes management awareness, editors training, support for digital staff. Accessibility checks are built into every development cycle. No new feature is accepted into production unless it passes rigorous accessibility tests. Accessibility is a shared responsibility across departments and a guiding principle in Il Mulino's technological evolution.

Francesca Avanzini, Digital Project Manager at Sanoma Italia, shared her perspective on Sanoma's long-standing commitment to accessibility and how it has evolved into a strategic company-wide priority. Avanzini explained that the EAA not only brought technical compliance to the forefront but elevated accessibility to a strategic business goal. Local teams were not only responsible for gathering requirements but also played a hands-on role in shaping and implementing accessibility solutions across the organization. To illustrate the complexity of this approach, she offered a valuable example of how a large, multinational structure can operationalize accessibility through collaboration between local and global teams.

Quality Assurance

A Pitch your accessibility pain session, facilitated by Gregorio Pellegrino, Chief Accessibility Officer, Fondazione LIA, focused on identifying pain points within production and distribution flows, with a particular emphasis on quality assurance (QA), the role of tools, and the accuracy of accessibility metadata. Key findings included:

• Outsourcing and QA: While the production of accessible content is frequently outsourced, the responsibility for ensuring accessibility compliance remains with the publisher. Participants highlighted the importance of robust quality assurance protocols to verify that outputs meet expected standards of accessibility and usability. Most publishers reported the use of internally developed checklists based on industry guidelines and hands-on experience. These tools are refined on an ongoing basis in response to evolving user needs and technological developments.
• Feedback loops and end-user engagement: Feedback from end users is increasingly informing QA processes. While user complaints have traditionally focused on editorial errors, accessibility-specific issues are now emerging. A functioning feedback loop, whereby users can report problems and publishers can respond, is essential to maintain quality and promote user trust.
• Metadata accuracy and discoverability: The session underscored persistent challenges in ensuring that metadata accurately reflects the accessibility features of a publication. Poor metadata not only hampers discoverability but may also lead to non-compliant user experiences. Participants shared various approaches to improving metadata workflows.