Accessibility

Last updated: May 2026

The University of Michigan Press is committed to making its publications and electronic media accessible to the broadest possible audience. This commitment is firmly in line with our mission statement and University of Michigan accessibility policies and guidelines. Our vision is to make the University of Michigan Press an accessible publishing organization: producing accessible publications, implementing accessible systems, and effecting change among our peers and partners by maintaining a high standard of accessibility.

Accessible File Requests

While we are committed to creating accessible publications and associated resources, we recognize that some of our publications or files are in formats that are not currently accessible to all of our readers. Readers needing an alternate format of a U-M Press publication or other resource can acquire or request one using the instructions below.

Requesting an ebook

If you need an accessible electronic version of a book, you may access or request one through the following channels:

Bookshare: Ebook library for individuals with reading barriers and institutions that serve them. Schools or individuals, inside or outside the US, can sign up for an account. Books are available in EPUB, DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System), BRF (Braille Refreshable Format), MP3, and DAISY Audio.

RNIB Bookshare: RNIB Bookshare, run by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), supports learners with a print disability to access the curriculum. Educational organizations within or outside the UK can join the service. Books are available in EPUB, DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System), BRF (Braille Refreshable Format), MP3, and DAISY Audio.

AccessText Network: If you provide Disability Services for a post-secondary educational institution in the U.S. or Canada and need to obtain material for a student with a documented print disability, please place your request on the AccessText Network. If you are not yet a member of AccessText, please sign up for a free membership. Books are available in EPUB and PDF. English Language Teaching titles are not available through AccessText Network.

BiblioVault: Scholarly e-book repository. Only disability service providers can sign up for an account. Books may be available in PDF or EPUB.

Michigan Publishing: U-M Press's parent organization. Individuals and institutions may contact us directly. Books may be available in EPUB or PDF.

Please note that due to rights limitations on some content, all titles may not be available in PDF form and some conditions on use apply. We will respond within 48 hours to all requests.

Requesting website files

Older PDF files and other hosted files on the site may reflect previous processes and may not be accessible. When possible, we’ll make accessible versions of older PDFs in response to requests emailed to ump.webmaster@umich.edu.

Ask for help

If you require assistance or wish to report an issue related to accessibility of any content we produce (our website, ebooks, or other), please send an email to ump.webmaster@umich.edu. If applicable, please include the URL or book title and the specific problems you have encountered.

If you experience issues completing a purchase in our Shopping Cart and require assistance, contact Chicago Distribution Center by email at orders@press.uchicago.edu or by phone at (800) 621-2736 (USA/Canada) or (773) 702-7000 (International). Please see Chicago's ordering page for more details.

Accessible ebooks

Accessibility features for ebooks have been focused on meeting accessibility standards and best practices for EPUB3 format, including creating textual descriptions of illustrations and producing accessible time-based media. Since 2021 our EPUB production workflow has been certified accessible through the Benetech Global Certified Accessible program. Nearly all of our EPUBs published after January 2021 meet EPUB accessibility and WCAG AA guidelines and include an accessibility certification.

Prior to 2021 we began making accessible EPUBs with our Corporealities: Discourses of Disability Series and related titles beginning in 2016. Since Fall 2019, all books published have basic textual descriptions of images either supplied by authors or written by publishing vendors.

Published content is evaluated using a combination of automated tools and manual processes, primarily Ace by DAISY (EPUB), Ace SMART by DAISY (EPUB), PAC Accessibility Checker (PDF), and Adobe Acrobat (PDF).

Ebook reading systems support

Available ebook reading systems vary widely in their support for the accessibility features in our EPUBs. While we test our EPUBs across a variety of reading systems, we recommend the latest version of the free and open source EPUB reader Thorium. Visit EPUB Test for accessibility support information for specific reading systems.

Accessibility of this website

Our baseline accessibility target is to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards.

The last accessibility evaluation for press.umich.edu was in March 2026. To learn more about how we do website accessibility evaluations, see Michigan Publishing's accessibility statement.

The next scheduled accessibility evaluation for this website is in 2027.

Endorsement of Accessible Publishing Initiatives

The University of Michigan Press endorses the Society for Disability Studies Accessible Publishing guidelines and is actively working to meet them.

In August 2021, the U-M Press signed and endorsed the Accessible Book Consortium's Charter for Accessible Publishing, adhering to eight criteria to help ensure accessible ebooks for all.

Michigan Publishing Accessibility Group

The Publishing Accessibility Group meets monthly to set the accessibility vision for Michigan Publishing, advise on practices to create born-accessible publications, implement accessible technologies and systems, and effect change among our partners and peer presses by maintaining a high standard of accessibility. It currently is working on:

  • Training for staff
  • Working with vendors to implement and support accessibility features in EPUBs
  • Migrating EPUB accessibility metadata to our title management system and displaying accessibility metadata on book product pages and in distributed ONIX feeds to help readers identify accessibility features built into our ebook titles
  • Improving the accessibility of our PDF-only ebooks through remediation or format conversion to EPUB3
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