[DTB-Talk] Government of Canada Increases Funding for Alternate Format Materials for Persons with Print Disabilities

[David Andrews]

>
>GAATES Global Accessibility News - Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 12:13 PM
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>
>Government of Canada Increases Funding for 
>Alternate Format Materials for Persons with Print Disabilities
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>Americas, Misc., March 23 2021
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>CANADA: The Government of Canada continues to 
>take important and decisive action to ensure 
>that all Canadians are supported during the 
>COVID-19 pandemic. We know Canadians living with 
>disabilities are facing significant challenges 
>during this difficult time and that 
>long-standing barriers to inclusion have been 
>heightened. As we work together to restart the 
>economy, we must continue to protect health and 
>safety, and ensure the right supports are in place for all Canadians.
>
>Four years ago, the Government of Canada 
>established a working group with disability 
>stakeholders and the publishing industry, 
>including the National Network for Equitable 
>Library Service (NNELS) and the Centre for 
>Equitable Library Access (CELA), to work 
>together on the common goal of making publishing 
>accessible to all by ensuring books are born accessible.
>
>The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted 
>the need for information, directives and 
>guidelines on health and safety in alternate 
>formats as Canadians have been asked to stay 
>home as much as possible to flatten the curve.
>
>Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce 
>Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla 
>Qualtrough announced an additional $1 million 
>under the Social Development Partnership Program 
>– Disability component, to support the 
>activities off the NNELS and the CELA in 
>providing accessible reading materials to 
>persons with print disabilities across Canada. 
>This announcement is in recognition that the 
>pandemic has had a profound effect on the 
>accessible publishing industry, and the 
>significant need for access to print materials, 
>as individuals are more isolated than ever.
>
>This investment, along with the $10 million 
>announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, 
>will enable access to alternate format 
>materials, such as braille, e-books, and 
>audiobooks, while Canada’s independent book 
>publishing industry continues to increase the 
>production and distribution of accessible books. 
>This funding will also support Canadians with 
>print disabilities in developing technological 
>skills and the capacity to use new digital tools in an ever-changing world.
>
>Quote
>
>“Everyone should be able to access information 
>and reading material. This is why our government 
>has developed and been implementing a 
>comprehensive long-term strategy for the 
>production of alternate format materials that 
>includes support to the publishing sector, 
>advancements in technology, and non-profits. In 
>recognizing that the pandemic has affected the 
>timeline in the realization of this transition, 
>and the ongoing need for alternate format 
>materials, we will be funding CELA and NNELS 
>with an additional $1 million for this coming 
>year. This will keep us on the path to 
>accessible publishing, and ensure that persons 
>with print disabilities continue to have access, 
>particularly during this unprecedented time.”
>
>– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development 
>and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
>
>Quick Facts
>    * In 2016, the Government of Canada joined 
> the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to 
> Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, 
> Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. 
> This helped bring the treaty into force and to 
> open up the exchange of print material around 
> the world, and was a historic step towards disability inclusion.
>    * In 2017, a working group on alternate 
> format materials was established to develop a 
> strategy to address the limited availability of 
> materials published in multiple, accessible 
> formats for Canadians with print disabilities.
>    * In 2019, the Government of Canada provided 
> funding of $3 million for CELA and $1 million for NNELS.
>    * Budget 2019 announced a five-year 
> Transition Strategy to emphasize the production 
> of alternate format books in Canada. The Strategy included:
>        * an investment of $22.8M over five 
> years for the Canada Book Fund (CBF), to assist 
> Canada’s independent book publishing industry 
> in increasing the production of accessible 
> books. The CBF supports the Canadian publishing 
> industry in its effort to integrate accessible 
> features into the production and distribution 
> of digital books (ebooks and audiobooks), and 
> to improve access to digital titles by Canadian authors.
>        * support for Canadian small and 
> medium-sized enterprises, to create more 
> efficient and cost effective technologies for 
> producing accessible books and facilitating 
> their access through the Alternate Format 
> Business Technology Challenge, administered by 
> Innovation, Science and Economic Development 
> Canada’s Innovative Solutions Canada program.
>    * In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the 
> government announced an additional investment 
> of $10 million over four years, starting in 
> 2020-2021, for CELA and NNELS to support the 
> transition towards industry-based production 
> and the distribution of accessible reading 
> materials for Canadians with print disabilities.
>
>Associated Links
>
><https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3098638-1&h=2060101518&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canada.ca%2Fen%2Femployment-social-development%2Fprograms%2Fsocial-development-partnerships.html&a=Social+Development+Partnership+Program+-+Disability+component>Social 
>Development Partnership Program – Disability component