27.09.19
“We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability.”— Stevie Wonder
The ASA is proud to be part of the Australian Inclusive Publishing Initiative (AIPI), a multi-sector group made up of print disability peak bodies, publishers, libraries, editors, authors, government agencies and more.
AIPI was formed to help implement Australia's obligations under the Marrakesh Treaty; to facilitate access to books for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled. A print disability is any visual, perceptual or physical condition that creates an inability to read, or a difficulty in reading, printed material.
According to the World Blind Union, less than 10% of all materials published worldwide are accessible to readers with a print disability, leading to a global ‘book famine’.
The AIPI aims for Australian books to be "born-accessible". Publishers are encouraged to adopt new work practices so that the master file of a book can be produced in multiple formats: braille, audiobook, large font and more.
The ASA is delighted to be part of an passionate group of stakeholders working towards best-practice access for readers with a print disability.
Authors have a role to play in making their works accessible. One key task is describing images included in your manuscripts through "alt-text". We will keep you informed of training opportunities to help you understand how you can contribute to ensuring your work reaches all members of our community.
In the meanwhile, we refer authors, editors and publishers to two helpful guides published by AIPI:
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