ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Accessibility in Digital Publications at Hatje Cantz

At Hatje Cantz, we place great importance on the accessibility of our digital publications. When producing new e-books, we ensure compliance with current technical accessibility standards—particularly the following:

  • EPUB Accessibility Specification 1.1: This international standard for accessible e-books requires, among other things, correct reading order, alternative text for images, and a clear navigation structure.

  • WCAG 2.1 Level AA: Guidelines for accessible digital content that are legally relevant for e-books and websites. These include requirements such as sufficient contrast, descriptive text, and clear structures.

  • PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1): The standard for accessible PDF documents, ensuring that content is correctly tagged, readable, and usable with screen readers.

Accessible EPUBs

Our more recent e-books in EPUB format are created in accordance with these standards. They offer:

  • Structured reading order

  • Navigable table of contents

  • Alternative texts for images

  • Compatibility with screen readers and text-to-speech systems

These titles are significantly more accessible to individuals with visual or reading impairments and meet the requirements of the German Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG).

E-Book PDFs

Our digital books are generally also available as PDFs. For design (e.g., layout, image composition) or technical reasons, these PDF versions do not yet fully meet the criteria for accessible documents but already offer several important features:

  • Searchable text

  • Read-aloud functionality (text-to-speech)

  • Internal links for navigation

  • No flashing content or sound effects (hazards)

However, accessibility standards such as the following are not yet fully implemented:

  • Fully tagged structure (e.g., headings, paragraphs)

  • Alternative text for images

  • Formal compliance with PDF/UA

If you require a specific publication in an accessible format, we are happy to review on a case-by-case basis whether and how an accessible e-book version can be provided.

Please contact us at: accessibility@hatjecantz.de

Note on Backlist Titles

Some of our digital titles were created before legal accessibility requirements came into effect. These older e-books and PDFs may not fully meet current standards (e.g., missing alternative texts, lack of semantic structuring).

We aim to transparently indicate accessibility information for these titles. If you have questions or concerns about a specific title, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Contact for accessibility inquiries: accessibility@hatjecantz.de

Thank you for your interest and feedback—it helps us to continuously improve the accessibility of our offerings.


Accessibility Statement Webshop and Website

At Hatje Cantz, we are committed to ensuring accessibility for all our customers, including those with disabilities. We strive to make our website and services inclusive, user-friendly, and compliant with applicable accessibility standards.

This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

Accessibility Standards

Our website is designed to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. These guidelines are recognized globally as the benchmark for web accessibility, focusing on creating content that is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust:

  • Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive
  • Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable
  • Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable
  • Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies

We continue our efforts to constantly improve the accessibility of its site and services in the belief that it is our collective moral obligation to allow seamless, accessible and unhindered use also for those of us with disabilities.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on how we can improve accessibility for all users. If you have suggestions or encounter barriers while using our website, please contact us. We are here to assist you.

Thank you for shopping with Hatje Cantz. We are dedicated to providing an inclusive experience for all!