Explanation

The sound value is used to indicate that a publication contains auditory content that can harm sound-sensitive individuals.

Sounds can cause seizures in some users, for example, or may trigger headaches. The causes are diverse, from ringing and buzzing sounds, to sudden loud noises, and even certain words or music.

There currently is no precise definition of what constitutes a sound hazard, however, so reporting that any sound dangers are unknown is a common and acceptable practice.

When reporting a sound hazard, the type of hazard as well as what content presents the risk should be noted in the accessibility summary.

The sound value must never be set together with the none, unknown, noSoundHazard, or unknownSoundHazard values, as these values conflict.

Examples

Example 1 — EPUB 3
<meta property="schema:accessibilityHazard">sound</meta>
<meta property="schema:accessibilityHazard">noFlashingHazard</meta>
<meta property="schema:accessibilityHazard">noMotionSimulationHazard</meta>
Example 2 — EPUB 2
<meta name="schema:accessibilityHazard" content="sound"/>
<meta name="schema:accessibilityHazard" content="noFlashingHazard"/>
<meta name="schema:accessibilityHazard" content="noMotionSimulationHazard"/>
Example 3 — Audiobooks
"accessibilityHazard": [
   "sound",
   "noFlashingHazard",
   "noMotionSimulationHazard"
]

ONIX Mapping

The sound value maps to ONIX list 143 code 15 ("Sound hazard").

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