Why open access doesn’t facilitate accessibility | Research Media

"Research Media CEO Vicky Williams argues that research accessibility is about more than physical availability – outputs must use inclusive language in order to set the work free. Many research councils and funding bodies now mandate that research projects have outputs that are available in a fully open access environment. Within this context, open access fulfils one key aim: to ensure that research which has been publicly funded is available to that public, without subscription or paywall barriers. Beyond an academic peer group audience, however, I would question how removal of these barriers increases accessibility. On a basic level, yes, anyone can access research outputs – but to the average person, the way that research is presented remains impenetrable. For a time-poor policy leader or CEO, there are no shortcuts – no way of quickly understanding the value and the implications of the research to them. Equally, for an informed public, the language is obscure, and the impact isn’t obvious. Open access doesn’t solve this."

Read this article for further insight on how OA can incorporate language more broadly for better inclusivity.