Case Study 7.3: University of British Columbia—An Editor Workflow

Christina Hendricks, editor for the open access Introduction to Philosophy series, described another accessibility workflow from the perspective of a project coordinator. Hendricks focuses much of her initial attention on ensuring the accessibility of drafts in Google Docs because her authors begin their collaborations in this space. Once the Google Doc is accessible, the team exports it to Word and imports it to Pressbooks. This work runs far more smoothly when accessibility is built in from the start.

Hendricks noted the importance of getting the entire team of authors and copy editors on board with accessibility measures when initiating a project. She explained that it can be a particular challenge motivating authors and that it often works best to explain why accessibility matters rather than providing a list of uncontextualized rules.