Accessibility Statement
At McGill-Queen’s University Press, we believe that the responsible stewardship of the intellectual work entrusted to us necessitates a commitment to accessibility. To that end, we produce all new books in at least one accessible format, and we have begun to add information about accessibility features to our title listings and metadata. We are also in the process of remediating previously published titles to meet accessibility standards, which we expect will take several years. Please send any remediation requests to the managing editor; requests help us determine the most effective order in which to remediate older titles.
MQUP works with Benetech-certified vendors to produce accessible ebooks, and we will pursue certification for our own workflow over the medium term.
ePUBs
Newly published ePUBs and select backlist ePUBs conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Typically these formats include the following features:
- Accessible structural markup: The book’s structure has been tagged to allow screen readers and other software to navigate its contents as intended.
- Alternative text: Substantive visual materials in the book are described, including extended descriptions for complex graphics.
- Navigable tables: Tables are formatted to be navigable by screen readers. Complex tables may be broken down into several simplified tables, which improves readability for screen readers as well as for readers accessing tables on smaller screens.
- Language tagging: Words and phrases in languages other than the book’s primary language have been tagged to allow appropriate pronunciation by screen readers. Please note that not all languages are supported by screen reader software. In particular, little software support has been developed for Indigenous languages.
- Robust navigation: Print-equivalent pagination is included and can be navigated via a page list. Reading order is specified. Index page references are hyperlinked to the print-equivalent page. Notes and table of contents are hyperlinked.
- Reflowable text: Readers have control over the font size and magnification. Because of this feature, some formatting may differ from how it appears in the print-equivalent book, especially for poetry and other text with specialized formatting.
To learn more about the specific features an ePUB includes, please refer to the accessibility summary on the book’s title listing page. Where no summary exists, this indicates that the ePUB lacks some or all accessible features.
Audiobooks
Select MQUP titles are published as audiobooks. These generally include accessibility features such as accessible navigation and alternative text descriptions of all visual material, and they are unabridged (reproducing all content in the print equivalent, including citations). To learn more about the specific features an audiobook includes, please refer to the accessibility summary on the book’s title listing page.
ePDFs
Our fixed-layout ePDF formats do not at present include accessibility features. We value feedback about whether adding these features would be helpful to our readers; please send any comments to the managing editor.
Requests for alternate formats
Students and other readers with print disabilities may submit a request for alternate formats through the Canadian National Institute for the Blind or through an accessibility centre at a college, university, or other recognized institution. The institution must confirm proof of purchase and sign relevant documents acknowledging copyright protection.
Website
Our website conforms to WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. If you experience any barriers to accessing our website, please contact mqup@mcgill.ca.