EAPM at-a-glance

Mission

The mission of Equal Access Public Media is to make news more accessible to all audiences so it is more inclusive of those with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and others with accessibility needs; and to make jobs more accessible to journalists with disabilities, with chronic illnesses, who are military veterans, and who are caregivers.

We do this by building products to help journalists or news outlets to reach audiences in new ways, and by creating new ways of working in the news.

Our purpose is to make fact-based news accessible to all regardless of disability, location, or reading level. In doing so, we will create quality jobs that are inclusive and life-sustaining. We do this by partnering with others inside and outside of journalism willing to work and learn on accessibility issues.

Story

Founder Stacy Kess had nearly 20 years in the journalism industry when her life changed in 2017: she was hit head-on by a truck. Established in 2024, Equal Access Public Media is the culmination of her personal and professional experience and draws on deep expertise that spans journalism and accessibility best practice.

Leadership

  • Stacy Kess, Founder, founder, chief of editorial
  • E. Simone Jenerson, chief of operations
  • Ellen J. Meany, ANF executive director

Board of directors

  • Stacy Kess, director, acting chair
  • Ola Ojewumi, founding director
  • Britne Jenke, director, secretary
  • Shounteé Turner, director
  • Mike Bodeman, director
  • E. Simone Jenerson, alternate director

Projects

Style and Accessibility Guide

This is a living resource for reporters, news outlets, and content creators. It presents technical accessibility procedures in in a format with which they are familiar.

The Word

This magazine covers trends in journalism, in style, and in accessibility. It launched in September 2025 and quickly found regular readership.

National Tab

This is the flagship news outlet that will reside under EAPM’s umbrella. It will include original reporting on national stories as experienced by those affected in local communities.

Funding

In our first two years, our lean startup nonprofit is funded mainly by grassroots support. As we scale and deliver on our mission, funding will be sourced from programmatic grants and philanthropic giving. EAPM is fiscally sponsored by the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation.

Get in touch

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