I Have an ePub…Now What?

Scheduled at 9:00 am in Denver 4-6 on Friday, November 15.

Speaker(s)

• Christine Foushi, OneStep Beyond
• Charles LaPierre, Principal, Accessibility and Content Quality Architect, Benetech
• Rick Johnson, Co-Founder and Vice President of Product Strategy and Accessibility, VitalSource Technologies, LLC
• Rachel Comerford, Senior Director of Accessibility Outreach and Communication, Macmillan Learning

Session Details

• Length of Session: 1-hr
• Format: Lecture
• Expertise Level: Beginner
• Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Have you ever asked yourself "I have an ePub ... Now What?" Deep dive with us into all that an ePub file format has to offer! Go beyond just opening the file and exploring the features that makes ePub reading an engaging experience.

Abstract

Whether you're a seasoned ebook reader or a curious newcomer, this session will equip you with the knowledge to:

• Unlock ePub essentials: Learn how to navigate different eReader applications and discover features like table of contents, bookmarks, and font size adjustments.
• Dive deeper: Explore functionalities like internal dictionaries, search tools, and note-taking capabilities to enhance your comprehension and personalize your reading journey.
• Go Beyond the text: Uncover how ePubs can incorporate images, audio, and even interactive elements, enriching your understanding of the content.
• Provide Accessibility for all: Learn about features like text-to-speech functionality, adjustable text spacing, and compatibility with screen readers, ensuring an inclusive reading experience for everyone.

Bring along your experiences and share your stories with us!

Keypoints

1. Unlock the full potential of ePub ebooks, from basic navigation to advanced features.
2. Discover how to personalize your reading experience.
3. Explore how accessible ePubs cater to a diverse set of reading needs.

Disability Areas

All Areas

Topic Areas

Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access

Speaker Bio(s)

Christine Foushi

Christine Foushi returns to AHG for the third year. A self-proclaimed publishing nerd, Christine is a journalist by trade, has worked within the higher education technology and publishing industry for the last 20 years, and is an advocate in accessibility. Ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all is her passion not only in her career, but within her community and personal life. She's the Principal Consultant of OneStep Beyond, an organization intended to empower individuals and organizations to navigate the digital landscape through innovative technology solutions while maintaining a commitment to accessibility. She was also recently awarded as a recipient of the 2024 GAAD Speakers' Fund sponsored by the GAAD Foundation. For more information, visit https://gaad.foundation/what-we-do/speakers-fund#speakersFundApplication.

Charles LaPierre

Charles has over 25 years’ accessibility development experience and has been a pioneer in accessible product development since 1993. Charles currently is an active member of multiple W3C Standards working groups. Charles is the technical architect of our new Global Certified Accessible (GCA) initiative at Benetech to certify publisher content as conforming to the EPUB Accessibility Specification. Charles has a bachelor's and master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Rick Johnson

Rick Johnson is the Vice President of Product Strategy, and one of the founders of VitalSource Technologies, Inc. As VP of Product, Rick manages the strategic direction of the fast growing platform, guiding the architecture, and implementation of its clients and systems. Rick's career has been focused on bringing together his three passions: technology, publishing, and education. He is a frequent speaker on electronic textbooks, their integration into an institutional environment, and how the accessibility needs of individual students can best be accommodated in their delivery. He has served on multiple committees addressing the needs around delivering accessible content to students, was a member of the working groups responsible for version 2 and version 3 of the EPUB standard, currently serves on the board of directors for IMSGlobal. Prior to Ingram and VitalSource, Rick spent more than 12 years with Apple Computer, Inc. As a Senior National Consulting Engineer for them he was instrumental in the implementation of complex solutions for many higher education and corporate customers, and received numerous national and international awards.

Rachel Comerford

Rachel Comerford is the Senior Director of Accessibility Outreach and Communication at Macmillan Learning where she leads cross-functional efforts to ensure students of all abilities have access to their course materials. In 2020, BISG awarded Rachel the Industry Innovator award for her work helping Macmillan Learning to become the first Global Certified Accessible publisher by Benetech. Under her leadership, Macmillan was recognized by WIPO’s Accessible Book Consortium with the International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing in 2020 for their work towards providing educational materials that any student can use. She has over a decade of experience in the print and digital publishing world. Prior to coming to Macmillan as an editor, she held a variety of editorial and sales positions at WW Norton and Pearson.