Spotlight on accessibility: a conversation with Simon Holt ahead of the STM US Conference

As we count down to the STM Annual US Conference, we’re highlighting some of the expert voices shaping the conversations at this year’s event. One such voice is Simon Holt, Head of Content Accessibility at Elsevier, who brings deep insight into the evolving landscape of accessible publishing.

Simon will be part of the panel “Accelerating the adoption of accessible publishing laws and standards”—a session that explores how technology and legislation intersect to drive more inclusive practices in scholarly communication. In this brief Q&A, Simon challenges common misconceptions about accessibility, shares the promise of multi-modal learning, and offers a compelling case for why collaboration is key to success.

Q1: What’s the biggest misconception about content accessibility?
SH: Content accessibility is about making sure that everyone, irrespective of disability, is able to access scholarly content. The biggest misconception is that accessibility is expensive and only helps a few people. Relative to the cost of creating a book or journal, making content accessible is, in fact, relatively inexpensive. And given that an estimated 1.3 billion people globally have a disability, according to the UN, accessibility is highly impactful in terms of extending the reach of scholarly content. It also helps make content more discoverable by making it more multi-modal and machine-readable.

Q2: What’s one trend in content accessibility that excites you right now? 
SH: Multi-modal learning. Technology is on the cusp of allowing anyone to consume any type of content in any way they like — read with their eyes, listen with their ears, feel with their fingers (i.e. Braille). That will bring scholarly content to many people who would otherwise not be able to digest it — perhaps due to disability but also due to, for example, preferred learning style. This could be transformational to the reach and impact of scholarly content.

Q3. Why is this session relevant for STM professionals?
SH: Legislation in the EU and US means that accessibility will very soon become a mandatory part of every book and journal. If we are to make this happen effectively as an industry, we need to understand well what the respective priorities and pain points are for libraries, via whom students and researchers access published content. This session brings together diverse perspectives, including an aggregator, a society that publishes complex maths content, as well as a commercial publisher and a library. This will give us a well-rounded discussion about the major opportunities and challenges.

Q4. If attendees take away one thing, what should it be?
SH: This is a journey we are all on as an industry. Accessibility is a highly collaborative area, and we need to work together to make this work. We can all learn from one another, so please don’t struggle alone. It’s also worth remembering that accessible content must be underpinned with accessible metadata.

Q5. What are you most excited about for this year’s conference? 
SH: I’m excited to hear different perspectives about the pressing issues that we face as an industry, beyond what I hear day-to-day.