GENEVA, Switzerland, June 29, 2022,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Africa Publishing Innovation Fund (APIF), a grantmaking program co-led by a philanthropic organization Dubai cares and the International Association of Publishers (APIs), and the DAISY Consortiuma global authority on publishing for people with visual impairments and other reading disabilities, offers African publishers free expert training on producing accessible works.
As part of this program, African publishers are invited to participate in a first webinar entitled Accessible publishing in Africa – the basicswhich will be delivered in English, French and Arabic, respectively on July 5, 6 and 7.
DAISY’s international experts will explain how accessible publishing practices open books to people with print disabilities, including blindness, low vision and learning disabilities. Participants will also share their own experiences, which will be used to help shape the accessible publishing technical training to be offered later this year.
The July webinars will cover the fundamentals of print disabilities and the assistive technologies they use, as well as how publishers can better serve readers with disabilities and why it is mutually beneficial to do so.
Publishers continuing the program with DAISY will be able to obtain APIF funding to support the production of accessible works and their introduction to the marketplace.
IPA Chairman Bodour Al Qasimi, the architect of the Africa Publishing Innovation Fund, said: “It is so important – especially in these tumultuous times – that publishers play a role in ensuring that no one is denied access to information and content. Accessible publishing opens up the literary world to everyone, regardless of physical status, and as a founding member of the Consortium for Accessible Books, this is a fundamental tenet of the work we do at IPA. We hope that by dedicating APIF funding to this specific issue, we can make an important contribution to increasing the range of accessible African works available to readers who need them.
DAISY Consortium CEO Richard Orme said, “Many publishers in Africa are accelerating their adoption of digital publishing solutions, particularly in the wake of the global pandemic. It also provides the ability to create posts that can be read by children and adults who were previously excluded, including the blind and visually impaired. Accessible publishing is better publishing for everyone, and we’re excited to share practical steps publishers can take to reach new audiences and address long-standing inequities.
Register for the webinar here.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the African Publishing Innovation Fund (APIF).
About the African Publishing Innovation Fund (APIF)
APIF is a four-year, $800,000 fund provided by Dubai cares, a global philanthropic organization based in the United Arab Emirates and administered by the IPA. The decision to encourage learning innovations to help African students continue their studies follows lockdown measures imposed around the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. About 190 countries have had to close schools and universities, affecting more than 1.5 billion school-aged children, or around 90% of the world’s student population.
About the International Publishers Association (IPA)
The IPA is the world’s largest federation of publishers’ associations with 83 members in 69 countries. Established in 1896, the IPA is an industry body with a human rights mandate. The IPA’s mission is to promote and protect publishing and to raise awareness of publishing as a force for economic, cultural and social development. Working in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and numerous international NGOs, API defends the interests of book and journal publishing at national and supranational levels. Internationally, the IPA actively opposes censorship and promotes copyright, freedom to publish (including through the IPA Voltaire Prize) and literacy.
www.internationalpublishers.org
About Dubai Cares:
Since its inception in 2007, Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has worked to provide children and young people in developing countries with access to quality education through the design and funding of programs that aim to be impactful, sustainable and scalable. To date, the UAE-based global philanthropic organization has successfully launched education programs reaching more than 21 million beneficiaries in 60 developing countries.
Dubai Cares plays a key role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning for all. by 2030, by supporting early childhood development programmes, access to quality primary schools and secondary education, technical and vocational education and training for young people as well as a particular focus on education in emergencies and protracted crises. Additionally, Dubai Cares takes a strategic approach to improving student enrollment and learning outcomes through an integrated school health and nutrition model comprised of school-based deworming, school feeding and WASH activities ( water, sanitation and hygiene) in schools.
Dubai Cares is a member of the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC), as well as a non-governmental organization registered with IACAD, the regulatory body for charitable activities in Dubai. The UAE-based global philanthropic organization is authorized to raise funds through direct donations and fundraising campaigns, as well as handling all permit approvals with IACAD.
Volunteering is a powerful tool for Dubai Cares to engage people in tackling development challenges. Dubai Cares unites the entire UAE community through a wide range of volunteering and outreach initiatives related to its global mandate.
To learn more, please visit www.dubaicares.ae
About the DAISY Consortium
The DAISY Consortium is a global collective of registered non-profit organizations committed to bringing about global change to achieve a shared vision that “people have equal access to information and knowledge, regardless of their disability; a right affirmed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Together, we contribute to common standards, develop guidelines to promote best practices, create tools that support accessible publishing, raise awareness of accessible reading systems, and support open standards for inclusive publishing.
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