Benetech’s goal is to make accessibility certification a rich, collaborative experience so that publishers know what steps must be taken either in practical techniques or workflow processes to make their files born accessible. To this end, Benetech’s GCA certification suite of services is the first-ever independent third-party digital accessibility certification and approval program.
Benetech’s GCA team evaluates the accessibility of EPUBs created by production workflows against recognized standards and guidelines, including:
We leverage tools such as ACE by DAISY to check feature compliance and perform our own independent review. Each EPUB is given an overall accessibility score, and clients receive a detailed reports of issues found and recommendations for corrective actions.
GCA certification is achieved when three EPUBs from the same workflow receive a qualifying score. Publishers can then promote titles produced by the certified workflow as accessible with Benetech-certified metadata that can be included in each EPUB. GCA certification is awarded for one year.
GCA certification must be renewed annually. Benetech conducts annual recertifications, evaluating an EPUB produced by the certified workflow. The Benetech certification team helps publishers and vendors remain in compliance by delivering quarterly communications that identify any changes to compliance standards, and other industry news.