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Accessibility

A book about working in the open should be readable by everyone. The ebook edition of Open and Async was built accessible from the first draft, not retrofitted — and I test it on every change.

Conformance status

The ebook (EPUB) edition conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA and EPUB Accessibility 1.1 — the standards the European Accessibility Act points to for ebooks.

I verify conformance on every build with three independent tools: ACE by DAISY (the reference EPUB accessibility checker, reporting zero violations), axe-core for WCAG 2.1 AA (contrast verified in both light and dark reading modes), and EPUBCheck for structural validity. Conformance is self-certified by Open & Async LLC.

What the accessible edition provides

Reflowable text
You control the font, size, spacing, and colors. Nothing is locked to a fixed layout.
Logical reading order
Content follows a single, sensible order for screen readers and keyboard navigation.
Full navigation
A navigable table of contents plus next/previous structural navigation throughout.
Semantic structure
Real headings, lists, and landmarks (DPUB-ARIA roles) — not styling that only looks like structure.
Image alt text
Every meaningful image has a text description; purely decorative glyphs are marked so screen readers skip them.
Light and dark modes
Both themes meet the contrast threshold, and either can be overridden by your reading system.
No hazards
No flashing, motion, or sound. All content is text-based.

By format

Ebook (EPUB / Kindle) — the accessible edition described above, sold on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, and via Ingram. This is the recommended format for readers who use assistive technology.

Print paperback — a fixed 6×9″ page, so the reflow and screen-reader features above don’t apply. Readers who need them should choose the ebook.

Bookshare — qualified members with a print disability can read Open and Async for free through Bookshare, the accessible library backed by the U.S. Department of Education, in formats including DAISY, braille, and large print.

Known limitations

I’d rather name these than pretend they don’t exist:

  • The ebook does not yet include a page list mapping to the print edition’s page numbers, so citing a specific print page from the ebook isn’t possible.
  • Translated editions (Portuguese, Spanish, German) are in preparation; their accessibility metadata is localized, but each edition’s conformance is confirmed at its own release, not before.

Tell me where I fell short

If something is hard to read or use — in any format, with any assistive technology — email accessibility@open-and-async.com. Tell me the format, your device and reading app, and what went wrong. I treat accessibility defects as bugs and aim to reply within five business days.

Last reviewed July 22, 2026.