Presented at 1:30pm in Westminster I on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
#11023Speaker(s)
- Rachel Comerford, Senior Director of Accessibility Outreach and Communication, Macmillan Learning
- Amy Salmon, Senior Accessibility Consultant, TechForAll
- Korey Singleton, , George Mason University
Session Details
- Length of Session: 3-hr
- Format: Lab
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: Pre-conference
Summary
Accessibility Services Offices have traditionally requested word or pdf files from publishers in order to remediate them for students. This workshop will explore ePUB as a standard format for ebooks by breaking down the basic elements of the file (CSS, JS, XHTML) and exploring simple methods for editing them and checking their accessibility.
Abstract
More and more publishers are moving to ePUB as a standard ebook format, not in small part due to the accessibility opportunities that is presents. What does this mean for Accessibility offices on campus? More materials to students, faster, and with less work to do in the office. But how can accessibility teams be sure they are getting what they need to students? What does an accessible epub contain?
Working with colleagues and experts, we'll break down the guts of an epub package, explore simple editing techniques for the files, and most importantly, identify what makes an epub accessible and how to check for those features. You should leave this workshop feeling confident that you can find accessible ePUBs for your students.
Keypoints
- Understand what the elements of an accessible ePUB are
- Learn how to check an ePUB for accessibility
- Gain basic/beginner knowledge of ePUB editing
Disability Areas
Topic Areas
Alternate Format, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
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.
Amy Salmon
Since 2001, Amy has been providing reviews of technology products and websites, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and best practices for people with disabilities. As a user of screen reader technology she has been a major contributor to several clients’ projects such as California State University, VitalSource Technology, United Airlines, and Verizon Wireless. Amy has published and presented several papers at the International Technology and Persons with Disabilities and the Accessing Higher Ground conferences, created and presented numerous accessibility training courses for TFA clients. Amy has a Master’s of Science degree in Rehabilitation for the Visually Impaired from Northern Illinois University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Korey Singleton
Korey Singleton manages the George Mason University Assistive Technology Initiative (ATI). The ATI works collaboratively with other units within the Mason community to develop and coordinate the implementation of a university-wide plan to ensure equivalent access for individuals with disabilities to information technology and communications. He has worked as an assistive technology specialist for over 17 years providing needs assessments, training, and technology support at home, in the workplace, and in the educational environment for individuals with sensory, physical and cognitive impairments, including persons with multiple disabilities.
Handout(s)
- ePUB 101
Understanding the basic content and structure of epub
PPT from meeting session