Simon & Schuster, First Major US Trade Publisher to Earn GCA Status, Leads the Industry in Ebook Accessibility Metadata

Amazon’s introduction of Accessibility Badges for Ebooks highlights Simon & Schuster’s dedication to expanding access for millions of readers with disabilities

New York, NY — September 17, 2025 — Millions of readers with disabilities can now easily identify accessible Ebooks on Amazon, thanks to new accessibility metadata displays for titles that meet Benetech’s Global Certified Accessible (GCA) standards. This breakthrough feature highlights Simon & Schuster as the only major trade publisher in the United States to hold GCA certification. This ensures that readers with blindness, low vision, or dyslexia can easily find and access titles that work seamlessly with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Benetech, a nonprofit focused on digital accessibility standards and services, administers the GCA program, the first independent, third-party certification for accessible Ebooks. Through GCA, Benetech works with publishers worldwide to integrate accessibility specifications into their production workflows and certifies ongoing compliance with accessibility standards.

“Simon & Schuster’s current industry-leading ability to provide high-quality accessible content is a case study in the power of incremental progress and long-term planning,” said Alex Del Negro, Director of Ebook Development at Simon & Schuster. “Accessibility has been a focus for us for years, and Benetech’s guidance, expertise, and advocacy helped navigate and shape this new and necessary frontier. From our initial conversations with Benetech in 2018, to becoming the first US Global Certified Accessible trade publisher in 2022, to today and beyond, Simon & Schuster is proud to take these steps alongside Benetech and proud of how far our industry has come in this shared accessible journey.”

Every new Ebook produced by Simon & Schuster is Born Accessible. Since earning GCA certification, the company has produced thousands of accessible ebooks and implemented a process to review and convert backlist titles to meet accessibility standards. Amazon’s decision to display accessibility metadata reflects growing momentum toward universal accessibility, fueled by new laws such as the European Accessibility Act and expanded digital accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This makes accessible publishing both a legal necessity and a competitive advantage for publishers.

“Benetech congratulates Simon & Schuster for leading the way in accessible publishing,” said Michael Johnson, Vice President of Content at Benetech. “As the only GCA-certified major trade publisher in the U.S., they set the bar for the industry and show what’s possible when accessibility is built into every book from the start.”

For millions of readers with print disabilities, finding an accessible book has become easier. Spotting accessible titles on Amazon, the biggest eBook seller, means less hunting around and fewer dead ends. It also sends a clear message to publishers: readers want accessible books, and there’s real business in delivering them.

Benetech is a nonprofit dedicated to driving social change through technological innovation. Its programs focus on providing accessible solutions for blind, visually impaired, and neurodiverse individuals. www.benetech.org  

Simon & Shuster, a global leader in general interest publishing, is dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Atria Books, Gallery Books, Adams Media, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and VBK in the Netherlands and Belgium. It proudly brings the works of its authors to readers in more than 200 countries and territories.  www.simonandschuster.com

PRESS CONTACTS

FOR SIMON & SCHUSTER:
Susannah Lawrence
[email protected]

FOR BENETECH:

George Mastoras
[email protected]