Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2019 and What That Should Mean to Authors and Publishers

[Approximate Reading Time : 4 mins]

While companies focus on expanding their reach to millions of internet users worldwide and embracing the technology of today and the future, they also need to maintain focus on inclusion. The evolution of consumption patterns and the expansion of media outlets has equated to a discrepancy in consumer focus. Although it is essential to be in line with the technological advancements of the day, it is also necessary for all business, schools and other institutions to be in line with all of their consumers, which is why Global Accessibility Awareness Day was started in the first place.

What Is GAAD?

GAAD was started to embrace and acknowledge the changing and existing efforts of companies and technology making content more accessible to everyone. 2019 marks its eighth year, and it will hopefully spark and foster continued conversation and efforts to make technology and information more inclusive for all.

Why Is It Important?

Accessibility is essential when it comes to technology and information because not everyone responds to the digitization of materials in the same way. There are nearly 1 billion people worldwide who are disabled in some way, which can make it difficult or impossible for them to use technology in typical ways.

How Can Authors and Publishers Help?

As technology progresses, more authors and publishers are looking for ways to make their materials inclusive. For those professionals and presses trying to make their content more accessible, they must consider a variety of factors:

• Multiple formats
• Content customization
• Text-to-speech capabilities
• Conversion to braille
• Scalability and ease of use

Some professional publishers specialize in accessible publishing, meaning they understand the demand in the market for tech-enabled content and can help authors and businesses adapt their content to be more inclusive. While a seemingly simple task, digitization and disbursement are specialized skills that often require the need for established channels, which these publishers have.

Accessibility is an easy idea in theory, but it requires specific skills and tools. For those authors and presses looking for assistance with Technabled publishing, look no further than Amnet, a proven publishing partner.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessible_publishing
https://mashable.com/2018/05/17/global-accessibility-awareness-day-explainer/
https://amnet-systems.com/amnet-techenabled-services/accessibility/