Presented at the British Dyslexia Association International Conference 2014. Not all that is digital in the realms of online documentation and ebooks is accessible for those who wish to read using text to speech, text highlighting or different coloured backgrounds. This paper will explore the issues related to the accessibility of e-book formats, e-book libraries and the devices that carry the e-books. A matrix system will be illustrated to show how e-book reading apps and devices can be differentiated and the way they can be configured to suit individual preferences. Recent research has highlighted the pros and cons of e-books, where the technology can fail but also where in a positive way e-reading can engage some struggling readers. Totally accessible e-reading on any device for those struggling with paper based materials, remains an unfulfilled wish. This paper aims to support the idea of a framework for making choices to guide learners and those that support.

1. Accessibility of ebook devices
& digital documents
Abi James & EA Draffan
University of Southampton
B.D.A. New Technologies Committee

2. Why are ebooks helpful to
dyslexic readers?
• Recent studies suggest that for dyslexic readers:
– Allowing reader to select the font, size and colour can
improve reading accuracy (Petrie et al, 2005)
– Reading shorter lines of text on a small screen can
improve reading speed (Schneps et al, 2013)
– Hearing and seeing the text in a synchronised manner
can improve reading speed, accuracy and
comprehension (Stodden et al, 2012)
• These personalisations can be provided through ebooks
if they are accessible and customisable

3. What is an accessible
ebook? Users can….
• Alter font size, style, spacing and justification
• Alter font and background colour
• Text can be read aloud
– User can select different voices and speed
• Annotate the text
– Search
– Notes & bookmarks
– Dictionary
Based on Web2Access (http://web2access.org.uk/)

4. What is an accessible ebook?
Accessible
e-book
hardware
operating
system
App /
software
Distributor
/ shop
Publisher
content of
the book

5. Devices &
apps

6. e-Book platform
accessibility: the
JISC TechDis
bridge model.

7. Content
variations

8. Matrix approach
to aid decisions
• Multiple factors need to be considered
before committing to particular platform or
device.
• Adapting Web2Access matrix approach to
quantify ebook accessibility.
• Allows a score for device-app-content
combination

9. Case study – I have to study
Romeo & Juliet…..
• Tested Romeo & Juliet in:
– PDF format
– Kindle format
– Generic ebook format with no copy restrictions
• 7 devices
• 10 apps on Android
• 4 apps on iPad and iPhone
• 4 ebook readers on Windows
• 2 Kindle devices

10. Case Study Results
• Scores ranged from 100% to 21%
• Top scoring app: 100% Voice Dream on iPad or iPhone for
all book formats
• Tests that scored 75%+
– ebooks on iBooks on iPad or iPhone
– Kindle books on iPad or iPhone (but low scores on
other platforms)
– ebooks and text documents with Cool Reader (Android)
– ebooks with Blio on iPad and iPhone

11. 0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
Ebook accessibility rating:
blue iOS apps, red Android apps, green
Kindle device, grey Windows apps

12. Recommendations
• Marketplace – app – device – content are all inter-
dependent
• Although some Android apps scored highly it took
considerable effort to ensure all accessibility option works
– TTS support was intermittent even within apps
– Android OS and device variations add additional
complications
• Books in the same app could have varying degrees of
accessibility depending on the platform.
• Consider before you purchase!

13. Keep watching this space….
“To be blunt, I don't think there is any "great" solution
right now for online textbook sources as you have
limitations with all of them.”
Sean Keegan, Stanford University
ATHEN Email Forum, 26th March 2014