A note from our founder

When you cross a street at a crosswalk, the sidewalk dips away to meet the street in what’s called a curb cut. Then, the crosswalk has a series of highly visible lines. On either side of a major intersection, an electronic sign uses a symbol – and possibly numbers and sounds – to indicate when it’s safe to walk. These things were all designed to make crosswalks more accessible so that disabled people could safely cross the street. In the end, everyone who crosses at the crosswalk benefits from these measures.

The popular kitchen gadget brand OXO started out with a peeler with a wide grip handle easier for people with arthritis and other hand and grasp-mobility challenges to use on their own. The brand used an inclusive accessibility design theory called universal design for the peeler, something OXO still uses in all its products.

I think about Equal Access Public Media in terms of curb cuts and OXO peelers. We’re setting out to offer news in more accessible formats, but everyone is going to benefit.

More than quarter of all American adults identify as disabled, and the World Health Organization identifies about 15 percent of people worldwide as disabled in some way. And that number is expected to grow due to chronic and infectious illnesses, aging, global crises and conflict. Rather than clinging to presenting news in the old format, we’re looking to reach new and untapped audiences – those who have been underserved by the media – and everyone in between.

We’re thinking about tomorrow, how news can be presented, and audiences can grow.

We’re future proofing the news biz because accessible news means everyone, including you.

Welcome to EAPM.

Stacy Kess