Digital books may contain elements other than text, such as images and multimedia. These elements must have text alternatives, and the book’s metadata must clearly indicate whether these alternatives are provided.

Objectives

• Allow users to determine if the book can be fully accessed via text-to-speech or Braille.
• Minimize the risk of customer complaints or refund requests.

Implementation

• Add ONIX codes such as [196 14] (for short alternative text descriptions) or [196 52] (to indicate that all non-decorative content can be read without sight).
• Display this information on the book’s product or description page.

Control

• Check that the metadata or product description indicates the presence of non-text content (e.g., images, videos, audio).
• Verify that the metadata also specifies that these contents provide text alternatives that allow access to the information they contain.