Lettie Conrad

This session is about the accessibility of scholarly publishing to people with disabilities, both in terms of published materials and the industry itself. Around 15% of the global population has a disability, according to the UN, so it is important to consider how people with a disability are able to access our content, our platforms, and our workplaces. This session will provide an overview of recent advances in accessible processes and practices, both in terms of product innovation and people inclusion. It also offers an opportunity for discussion about how we can best increase disability inclusion within our own workplaces and products in a realistic way. Attendees will learn about some of the disability inclusion and accessibility initiatives that are currently taking place within the scholarly communications industry and gain practical takeaways to make their own products and workplaces more accessible and disability inclusive. The session offers a range of perspectives including product innovation, process design, content distribution, and publishing house. It will give insights from multiple angles, including service providers and employees with a disability. With an emphasis on collaborative efforts, it will show how different parts of the industry are working to increase accessibility and become more disability-inclusive, offering attendees focal points they can reach out to as they look to increase inclusions within their own organizations, platforms, and products. Diversity and inclusion is not a competitive sport, and it is by working together as an industry that we create cultural change, one step a time.