In March 2019, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $22.8 million over five years for the development of an initiative to support the sustainable production and distribution of accessible digital books by Canadian independent publishers. This funding will flow through the Canada Book Fund (Department of Canadian Heritage), with the goal of enhancing capacity so that books are “born accessible” as part of the digital production process. With the funding support of the Canada Book Fund, ACP and eBOUND’s research took place between October 2019 and March 2020 and included the following components:

1. An analysis of the current landscape for the production and distribution of accessible digital books in Canada, and potential market developmentfor these books in the Canadian English-language market.
2. Recommendations for the implementation of a national standards and certification program, including defining the characteristics of an accessible digital book.
3. Development of a national strategy for awareness and training around accessible books for the publishing industry and related sectors.