Presented at 8:00am in Plaza Court 4 on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
#34022Speaker(s)
- George Kerscher, Chief Innovations Officer, DAISY Consortium
- Erin Kirchner-Lucas, Sr Director, Digital Accessibility, RedShelf
- Darren Evans, Director Virtual Learning Community, Wake Technical Community College
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
Campus management and staff should be aware of the modern digital publishing Standard EPUB 3. This presentation will provide the high-level perspective of all aspects of the ecosystem that makes EPUB 3 the most accessible publishing standard ever created. The session will include a comprehensive resource list for implementation on the campus.
Abstract
This packed presentation provides details on EPUB 3, and why it is known as the “most accessible format ever developed.” It will kickoff with an easy-to-understand overview of the EPUB 3 format, and why the publishing industry has embraced the standard. We will look at the need for an online and downloadable reading experience that meets the hybrid learning environments and cover the Apps that provide a rich reading experience and show how to find the Apps that will work with all students, no matter what their reading requirements happen to be. We will shock you with the two click method to produce perfect EPUB 3 from your desktop, which should trigger the idea of professor produced Born Accessible materials that go way beyond the old-fashioned PDF. Finally, we will look at the ease of finding third-party certified, Born Accessible publications, that will help your university stay out of the courts.
Keypoints
- The EPUB 3 Standard is the most accessible format ever developed, and this session will provide the overview.
- Fully accessible EPUB 3 titles are now available , and this session will explain how they can be discovered.
- Word processors can now create Born Accessible EPUB 3 with two clicks. Professors can be trained.
Disability Areas
Cognitive/Learning, Vision
Topic Areas
Accessible Educational Materials, Administrative/Campus Policy, Assistive Technology, EPUB Track, Faculty Development & Support, Legal, Procurement, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
George Kerscher
George Kerscher Ph.D.
“Access to information is a fundamental human right.” 2003 to the United Nations George Kerscher began his IT innovations in 1987 and coined the term "print disabled." George is dedicated to developing technologies that make information not only accessible, but also fully functional in the hands of persons who are blind or who have a print disability. He believes properly designed digitally published materials and web pages can make information accessible to all people. George is an advocate for semantically rich content which can be used effectively by everybody. As Chief Innovations Officer of the DAISY Consortium, Senior Advisor, Global Literacy to Benetech, and member of Publishing Groups in the W3C, Kerscher is a recognized international leader in document access. In addition, Kerscher chairs the DAISY/NISO Standards committee, Chairs the Steering Council of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI, and also serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Erin Kirchner-Lucas
Erin Lucas is the Senior Director of Digital Accessibility at RedShelf. As the leader of the Accessibility Center of Excellence, she drives the implementation of an accessibility-first approach to design and development. Erin also serves as the liaison for campus accessibility departments when they need support for their students and lives by the motto, “accessibility is not a feature – it’s a requirement!” Prior to RedShelf, Erin spent 20+ years in the Federal Government IT sector, mostly with the Department of Defense, coordinating Section 508 compliance and ensuring design consistency and usability for contractor-developed government software and websites. She is a current member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, a certified Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Trusted Tester and is currently working towards her Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) designation. In her spare time, Erin enjoys wildlife photography (especially shore birds and other waterfowl) and spends weekends kayaking and boating with her husband Mark and their dog Greta.
Darren Evans
Darrin Evans is the Director of The Virtual Learning Community (VLC) Professional Development (PD) Center and an Accessibility Technologist for the e Learning department at Wake Technical Community College. He has his Master’s in Instructional Technology and Design and is a former middle school teacher and technology facilitator. He has presented across the state for The NC Community College System office on Instructional Technology and Teaching Online. Darrin works with faculty and staff across the curriculum on creating and delivering effective accessible content.