WTF is "Accessibility Features"?

[TimothyEllis]

WTF is "Accessibility Features"?

This seems to be something new added to the submission process, but the help page for it is very unhelpful.

Which answer are you supposed to use, when all your images are backmatter text, or a covers poster?

Makes no sense to me.

Anyone explain it? And what answer you should give?

The default answer is "I don't know".

[Post-Doctorate D]

In the U.S., business websites are required to be ADA-accessible.  It's conceivable that Amazon is adding this to eBooks now, though generally eBooks by their nature are pretty accessible.  Images would require special attention.  I doubt very many of us use images, but if you do, they should have ALT text in their tags so readers for the visually impaired would be able to describe the image for those that can't see it.  Also, and again most of us don't do this, but if you are putting text in specific colors or using backgrounds and such, you want to make sure there is a high enough contrast so it is readable by people with poor vision.  And so on.

Of course, that's a guess but that's what comes to mind when someone says "accessibility features."

[djmills]

Yes, this. ^^
Mainly, use colours that can be seen by colour-blind people, eg. high contrast.
Use text tags to describe every image.
There are more related to coding programs including a zoom lens, but not needed for publishing. And AI results from googling "accessibility features" covers most of it.

[R. C.]

Post-Doctorate D is correct.  I was forced by a security plugin to update the ALT text for all the images on my site...

R.C.

[TimothyEllis]

How does Alt text even work in a book on a reader device?

I've never seen an image come up with a popup or something.

No idea how you even do that in Word.

Don't even see the point of why you'd need to in the backmatter of a novel.

[Post-Doctorate D]

If an image is purely superfluous, such as an image used to give the impression of round corners (before CSS had routines for that), then the ALT text can be empty.

But, if the image has a purpose, then it should have ALT text.

I don't use Word so I don't know.  I know Pages can do it so I would imagine Word can as well.  But, if I recall, you use an older version of Word, which may not have the feature.

[R. C.]

...

No idea how you even do that in Word.

Don't even see the point of why you'd need to in the backmatter of a novel.

MS Word: Place the image, righ click, choses View Alt Text.

My superficial understanding is the push for "Accessibility" is being pushed by the EU. New rules have filtered down...

R.C.