2024 Agenda

Note that times and events are subject to change.

Accessible Publishing Summit 2024

Chestnut Conference Centre, University Room – 89 Chestnut St., Toronto, ON

January 29-30, 2023

Monday, January 29th: 8:30-16:30 (All times are Eastern)

  • 8:30-9:45: Opening, welcome, and introduction
    • 8:30-9:00: Doors open: coffee/tea and light breakfast will be provided
    • 9:00-9:05: Welcome & Thank-yous
    • 9:05-9:20: Updates & Introduction from NNELS
    • 9:20-9:35: Logistics & Community Building
      Discussion of agenda, logistics, community agreements and accessibility guidelines
  • 9:35-12:00: The Experiences of Readers with Print Disabilities
    Members of NNELS’ Accessibility Testing Team will demonstrate the process of searching for, discovering, downloading, accessing, and using content that meets a variety of needs across different platforms
    • 9:35-10:15: Demonstration Session 1: Scholarly & Academic Sources (Screen-reader user experience)
  • 10:15-10:35: Break
    • 10:35-11:15: Demonstration Session 2: Public Libraries (Low-vision user experience)
    • 11:20-12:00: Demonstration Session 3: Commercial & Retail Sources (Screen-reader user experience)
  • 12:00-13:00: Lunch
  • 13:00-16:35: Panel Discussion Sessions
    • 13:00-13:45: Panel 1: The End of Accessible Books Initiative
    • 13:50-14:35: Panel 2: Publishers: Reaching toward Accessibility
    • 14:40-15:00: Break
    • 15:00-15:45: Panel 3: Accessibility and the Business Case
    • 15:50-16:35: Panel 4: The User Perspective
  • 16:35-16:40: Close of Day 1.
  • 17:00: Optional Community Dinner at the Duke of Cornwall: 400 University Ave (330m from venue)

Tuesday, January 30th: 8:30 am – 16:15 pm 

  • 8:30-9:05: Opening, welcome, and introduction
    • 8:30-9:00: Doors open: coffee/tea and light breakfast will be provided
    • 9:00-9:05: Overview of the day
    • 9:05-9:25: Updates
      • Ana Maria Luponio: Employment and Social Development Canada
      • Laura Brady: Developments on InDesign and Accessibility
  • 9:10-12:00: Working Sessions
    During the working sessions, attendees will break out into small groups and work together on creating sets of actionable recommendations that can be shared with various stakeholder groups following the Summit.
    Topics will include: Guidance for: publishers; reading system developers, vendors, and distributors; Librarians and educators; the broader public; and post-secondary publishing programs.
    • 9:30-10:30: First round of working sessions
    • 10:30-10:50: Break
    • 10:50-11:45: Second round of working sessions
  • 11:45-12:40: Lunch
  • 12:40-15:40: Working Sessions
    • 12:40-12:45: Overview of afternoon sessions
    • 12:45-13:45: Group-wide reporting and feedback
    • 13:50-14:40: Third round of working sessions
    • 14:40-15:00: Break
    • 15:00-15:40: Fourth round of working sessions (Prepare overview of all work for sharing)
  • 15:40-16:30: Closing the Summit
    • 15:40-16:20: Presentations of the work and feedback/input/reflections/whole group discussion
    • 16:20-16:30: Closing notes.