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Wednesday Wisdom: Live Interview with Stacy Scott (PAAG) and Simon Mellins (PRH UK)
21 September, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm BST
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Tune in live to an exciting 30-minute Zoom Q&A on Wednesday 21 September from 1:00 – 1:30 pm BST (8:00 – 8:30 am EST) with Stacy Scott, Chair of the UK Publishing Accessibility Action Group (PAAG) for the Publishers Association and Accessibility Manager for Taylor & Francis, and Simon Mellins, Ebook Technology Coordinator at Penguin Random House UK.
Join us there to find out more about the new PAAG accessibility charter in partnership with the Publishers Association, how the Group is empowering publishers on their journey to accessibility and where you can start creating a meaningful impact in this space with the resources and support available.
Stick around until the end of the session, as we’ll open up the floor to the audience questions in the last 10 minutes of the Q&A – so be sure to come prepared!
Registration is required, so please sign up above to receive the Zoom link to tune in live.
*This session will have live closed captioning available for viewers to toggle on or off as needed*
About Wednesday Wisdom
The Wednesday Wisdom series is designed to give you a brief, inspiring insight into the working lives and projects of publishing experts, and the help you learn more about the services that can take you to the next level. On selected Wednesdays throughout the year, take a break and join us on Zoom for live these Q&As to top up your motivation and learn something new.
BookMachine members can browse 50+ Wednesday Wisdom replays in the archives and catch up with the recording of this session afterwards.
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About Stacy (she/her)
Stacy Scott has been professionally involved in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) education sector for her whole professional life, beginning as a University Technology Advisor; and following a trajectory through a diverse and rewarding career in International Development; working in Bangladesh, India and across several countries in Africa, on making education more inclusive, which saw her involvement in a vast array of diverse, illuminating and extremely meaningful and challenging projects. She then headed the RNIB Bookshare Service in the UK; working with over 1,100 publishing partners, to bring their content onto the RNIB Bookshare platform, to be used by students with any print-disability, for free. The platform grew rapidly and currently supports over 50,000 students and staff and provides over 800,000 free eBooks in a variety of accessible formats.
Moving closer to accessibility challenges in academia, last year, Scott took on the role as Accessibility Manager for Taylor & Francis, where she aims to provide a clearer, more cohesive strategy on accessibility across the whole company, building on the wonderful, award-winning work T&F has already achieved. She can often be found in the ‘accessibility community’ speaking at events or hosting/attending panels, including chairing the Accessibility Action Group for the Publishers Association. A group which brings publishers, vendors, stakeholders and end users together, to break down barriers to accessing any, and all, published materials. Something that still remains her raison d’etre!
As a blind Mathematics graduate, she has both the lived experience and professional vantage point from which to understand the challenges faced by learners with a print-disability and is forever committed to breaking down barriers and improving the availability of accessible education – and enhancing independent study – for all.
About Simon
Simon Mellins is the Ebook Technology Coordinator at Penguin Random House UK, where he looks after ebook specifications, documentation and education, with a special focus on all things accessibility. Active in this space for a number of years, he was part of the recent founding of the PAAG and was heavily involved in this year’s survey.
About the PAAG
The UK Publishing Accessibility Action Group (PAAG) is a supportive community that fosters collaboration and encourages companies and publishing professionals in their accessibility journey. Our aim is to ensure that publications can be read by people with print disabilities. Its members include representatives from the publishing industry, publishing bodies, publishing technology organisations, disability associations, and people with lived experience of print disability.