Fondazione LIA
Fondazione LIA cooperates with Keio Research Institute at SFC
"E-Books for all". Fondazione LIA cooperates with Keio Research Institute at SFC providing its accessibility manual for translation and distribution in Japan
The E-books for all: towards an accessible publishing ecosystem whitepaper, created by Fondazione LIA (Libri Italiani Accessibili) will be translated and distributed in Japan. The initiative stems from an agreement signed between Fondazione LIA, a non-profit organization created by AIE (Association of Italian Publishers) in collaboration with UICI (Italian Blind and Visually Impaired Union), and the Keio Research Institute at SFC, an important Keio University’s research institute committed to leading-edge research and innovation, with Advanced publishing laboratory (APL), promoter of the adoption of open standards and software in publishing.
The collaboration is part of a broader project to raise awareness in the Japanese publishing and book sector on the importance of accessibility and follows the 2019 Act to further the improvement of reading environments for visually impaired persons, which aimed to “the realization of a society that enables all of the people to enjoy the blessings of book culture” through the development of specific measures.
The cooperation between Keio Research Institute at SFC and Fondazione LIA is part of this effort. The first step is a webinar on 18th February, which was attended by the associates of Keio Research Institute at SFC, including leading Japanese publishing groups. It was hold by Fondazione LIA’s experts, who proposed an introduction on the subject of accessibility of digital content and on the responsibilities of every actor in the publishing chain.
“The collaboration with Keio Research Institute at SFC is a sign of the worldwide growing attention to the theme of accessibility. To make a real impact, collaborations and synergies with other key players are essential. The experience of Fondazione LIA in Italy can be a very starting example for other countries who want to work with accessibility” declared Cristina Mussinelli, Secretary General of Fondazione LIA.
The whitepaper
E-books for all, first published in English in November 2020, provides useful information to all companies interested in being part of an accessible digital publishing ecosystem and it examines the roles and responsibilities of content producers, aggregators, online stores and reading solutions developers.
The whitepaper is the result of the international experience of Fondazione LIA, which has matured over the years being an active part of the working and study groups focused on developing standards for the production of accessible digital publications, testing reading solutions and creating metadata for accessibility and developing, in collaboration with 76 italian publishing imprints, the LIA catalogue that now includes more than 26,000 accessible ebooks.
Caricato il 17/02/2021
