Accessibility as a Crucial Social Justice Component of Open Access for Library Publishers

Abstract:  Despite their establishments as social justice-motivated movements around the same time, the Open Access and Accessibility movements have yet to be directly linked. The Open Access movement calls for content to be free of all barriers to be considered open but often accessibility requirements, which are barriers to individuals who use assistive technology, among others, are not considered when labeling something as Open Access. This study aimed to measure whether library publishers, which have traditionally been champions of both Open Access and accessibility, believe that both movements should be connected, and to what degree they feel they have administrative support for both. The study found that while most respondents felt they had both administrative and financial support for Open Access work, they did not have sufficient administrative or financial support for accessibility work. The results suggest that connecting accessibility to Open Access work through funder and other legal requirements may have a positive impact on increasing support.