Last month, our Senior Digital Accessibility Specialist, Vithya Vijayakumare, had the privilege of travelling to sunny Fiji to co-facilitate a transformative training program.
The five-day workshop focused on accessible book production for Pacific Island countries and was part of a broader capacity-building initiative led by the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), a global program spearheaded by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Australia Funds-In Trust. This international effort works to ensure that people who are blind, vision impaired, or otherwise print disabled have equal access to published works.
Following the Right to Read Conference held in Sydney last October, it became clear that many non-government organisations in the Pacific had limited experience in producing accessible content, and that poor internet connectivity posed a major barrier to remote learning options. In response, IP Australia endorsed the ABC’s proposal to fund in-person training in Fiji, supporting the development of accessible publishing skills across the region.
The training, held at the University of the South Pacific from 8–12 July, was delivered by Vithya alongside Prashant Verma from the DAISY Consortium, a world-renowned organisation setting global standards for accessible publishing
Together, they co-facilitated the workshop for representatives from blindness organisations and government departments across Fiji and Samoa such as the Samoa Blind Persons Association (SBPA), the University of the South Pacific, the Fiji Society for the Blind, and the United Blind Persons of
Fiji. Over five intensive days, participants learned how to produce accessible digital content using international best-practice tools and formats, including EPUB3 and DAISY. The hands-on training also introduced them to accessible reading technologies, including both hardware and software platforms used by readers with print disabilities.
Vithya shared that the commitment shown by the attendees was deeply inspiring.
“It was a rewarding experience to be part of something that will create lasting impact across Pacific Island communities. The participants brought passion and purpose to every session, and their enthusiasm for making reading more inclusive was contagious.”
All participants successfully completed the training, including a final group project that demonstrated their newly acquired skills.
As part of the visit, Vithya and Prashant also had the opportunity to visit the Fiji Society for the Blind.
“We were really impressed with the school’s facilities and the sense of community there. They’ve built something truly special.”
At VisAbility, we are proud to see our team contributing to the global movement for accessible information and inclusive education. Through collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and lived expertise, initiatives like these take us one step closer to a world where everyone – regardless of ability – has the right to read.
