Beyond open access: why true accessibility in academic publishing matters: insights from The Scholarly Kitchen
- Lou Peck
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 27
Join me, Amanda Rogers, Beth Richard, Carsten Borchert, and Simon Holt in this two-part series focusing on the importance of making content more accessible for all. Accessibility is super important to me, especially as I am neurodiverse.
Accessibility often feels like an afterthought to me or an inconvenience, adding time to a process. We need to do better. Even if we make a start and aren't 100% all the time, a start is better than nothing.
As part of our clients' competitive analysis work we analyzed social media channels, and found that out of the eight commercial and society publishers we reviewed, only 25% (two of which were from the big five) used alt text on most of their social media imagery.
No one used it on all social media imagery.
Guest Post — Beyond Open Access, Part 1: Make Academic Content Truly Accessible for All
Go beyond the basics of open access with this thought-provoking guest post on The Scholarly Kitchen. Explore why true accessibility means more than just free-to-read content, and discover practical steps for making academic materials genuinely inclusive for everyone, including those with disabilities.
Join the conversation on how the scholarly publishing community can lead the way in disability inclusion and accessible publishing:
Guest Post – Beyond Open Access, Part II: Make Images Truly Accessible for All
Discover actionable strategies for creating high-quality image descriptions that ensure genuine accessibility in scholarly communications. This insightful guest post is the second in a two-part series on The Scholarly Kitchen, offering practical guidance to help publishers and authors make images truly accessible to all readers, an essential step toward inclusive and equitable scholarly publishing.
Read more to learn how you can contribute to a more accessible academic landscape:
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