The winners of the 2021 ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing were announced today during a ceremony at the Frankfurter Buchmesse

Taylor & Francis Group (United Kingdom) is winner in the publisher category and National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS, Canada) is winner in the initiative category for their respective achievements in the field of accessibility to benefit people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled.

In the publisher category, Taylor & Francis Group’s innovative approach to alternative text for images, graphs, and diagrams impressed the jury.  Authors create and submit alternative text with their manuscripts, which ensures that key information is accessible to persons who are print-disabled.

In the initiative category, NNELS was recognized for their work in converting content to accessible formats for their client base. The jury was particularly impressed by NNELS’ work organizing the Accessible Publishing Summit for the past three years.  The Accessible Publishing Summit assembles key stakeholders such as accessibility experts, publishers, and libraries to advocate for inclusive practices in the publishing industry.

Nominees were judged on the criteria of outstanding leadership or achievements in improving the accessibility of e-books or other digital publications for persons who are blind, have low vision, are dyslexic or have mobility impairments that impact their ability to read the printed word.  Winners were selected from a diverse pool of finalists by a jury composed of representatives of authors, publishers, standards bodies, and organizations representing people who are visually impaired, as well as accessibility experts.

Watch here the awards ceremony and the winners’ statements.