eBooks, accessibility and the catalysts for culture change

Abstract

The evolution of any product is usually in response to perceived benefits; either for the workflow, cost-benefit or for the end users. The development of accessible digital print resources at source of publication is uniquely advantageous in many ways. A system with improved accessibility for humans also enables content to be machine read[1]. Although the global publishing and digital distribution industries have not uniformly embraced accessibility, the United Kingdom (UK) has been able to make significant positive progress. The UK has not embraced a specific disability ebook format and distribution system; instead, through a model of cross-industry stakeholder engagement, a cultural shift has begun to embed accessibility at source within the publishing industry. The authors maintain that the cultural change witnessed is not a coincidence and has its roots in a particular set of catalysts being initiated by stakeholders resulting in a model that could be replicated. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.