SESSION 2. Accessible Books Publishing / Production
3. Accessible Publishing: Influencing the creation of Born Accessible books
Brad Turner & Lisa Wadors Verne
Tuesday 20th August 14:30-16:00
Abstract ＆ Presentation :
Libraries play a key role in providing access to printed information, but that access is limited by the number of books that can be converted into accessible formats. While the costs are coming down, conversion of content after it has been published remains costly and time-consuming. Benetech’s Born Accessible initiative is helping publishers to change their workflow, building books that are accessible from the time of creation. We’ll discuss the key elements of the ePub baseline and the WCAG standard and how librarians can leverage the metadata found in accessible books to showcase the accessibility features for people with reading barriers. We’ll also discuss how Benetech works with publishers and how other librarians can influence the creation of accessible books, greatly increasing the amount of accessible content available for their library patrons.
2.3_Benetech_Libraries and Accessible Books, Brad Turner.pdfBrad’s Bio :
Brad Turner is the Vice President and General Manager of Global Education and Literacy for Benetech. His team runs Bookshare, the world’s largest library of accessible books for people with barriers that affect their ability to read printed material, with members in over 85 countries. Another key initiative in the Global Education and Literacy group is the Born Accessible effort, driving systemic change within the publishing industry by providing standards and certification for accessible materials. Brad’s group also partners with industry-leading companies, designing and implementing technology improvements to improve accessibility of learning materials, focusing on challenging topics like science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
Lisa’s Bio :
Dr. Lisa Wadors Verne, Ph.D. is the Project Director for the DIAGRAM Center and co-producer of the DIAGRAM Report, an annual brief about emerging technologies and their promise for kids with disabilities. Lisa has spoken about accessible educational materials and inclusive practices at many notable conferences around the globe. She has a doctorate in Special Education and Policy from the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State
* Following the conventions of the IFLA WLIC Program, all honorifics are omitted in the Program.