BISG Launches New Working Group on Accessibility Metadata

Posted By: Brooke Horn Announcements, Committees,

The Book Industry Study Group is pleased to formally announce the launch of a new working group on accessibility metadata to help prepare the US book industry for compliance with the European Accessibility Act, which goes into effect on June 28, 2025.

The goal of this group is not to set, monitor, or enforce best practices around accessibility metadata; rather, it will be a concerted effort to 1) amplify the good work being done by organizations such as DAISY, Benetech, and Fondazione LIA (among others), and 2) educate the book industry on compliance expectations and available resources. For an introduction to this topic, please reference the blog post Content Considerations and the European Accessibility Act.

This working group will operate as a joint effort from BISG's Metadata Committee and BISG's Workflow Committee. It is open to participation from any member of BISG in good standing, as well as nonmembers in relevant segments and industries. If you would like to have a seat at the table and contribute to this important group, we would welcome your participation.

Our kickoff meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 11 at 10 AM ET.

How to sign up

(This will ensure that you receive communications about the working group, including agendas, calendar invitations, and Zoom access)

BISG members:

  1. Go to https://www.bisg.org/login and sign in 
  2. Click on "Profile" in the menu on the left
  3. Scroll down to "Working Group Engagement"
  4. Select "Accessibility Metadata Working Group" and save 

Nonmembers:

  1. Please e-mail Operations Manager Brooke Horn to be added.