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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-NZ link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Good afternoon all,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>We am pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing. Congratulations to Gerbera Ediciones of Argentina and the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities of Australia and New Zealand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>In the initiative category, the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities was celebrated for its enduring contributions to accessibility since its establishment in 1981. The jury praised its wide-ranging impact across sectors such as education, government, and business in Australia and New Zealand. Particular emphasis was placed on the resources developed by the Round Table to support the creation of accessible formats and its role in uniting diverse stakeholders through its annual accessibility conferences.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'><img width=960 height=540 style='width:10.0in;height:5.625in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.png@01DB47E0.2FA795C0" alt="Ms. Sonali Marathe, President, Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities, at a podium during the Right to Read Conference organized by WIPO in Sydney, Australia in October 2024."></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Ms. Sonali Marathe, President, Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities, Australia and New Zealand, winner of the 2024 ABC International Excellence Award.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Reflecting on this recognition, Sonali Marathe, President of the Round Table, said: “This award acknowledges our commitment to making information accessible to everyone, ensuring that people with a print disability can fully participate in education, work, and leisure. We share this achievement with the incredible community of advocates, partners, and professionals dedicated to breaking barriers and advancing inclusion. Our shared vision of a more accessible world continues to drive us forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>About the ABC International Excellence Award<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Award nominees were evaluated on the criteria of outstanding leadership and achievements in improving the accessibility of e-books or other digital publications for persons who are blind, have low vision, are dyslexic or have mobility impairments that impact their ability to read the printed word. The expert jury was composed of representatives of publishers, standards bodies and organizations representing people who are visually impaired, as well as accessibility experts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Please find below the relevant links to WIPO social media announcing the winners, as well as the related <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><a href="https://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/w/news/2024/abc-international-excellence-awards-recognize-gerbera-ediciones-argentina-and-round-table-on-information-access-australia-and-new-zealand"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>ABC news item</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=FR-CH style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><br><b>FB: </b></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wipo/posts/pfbid0NpZZm48KmbnE35edMWMXXJZiMAj1F6uxGd1hUbcLHHKjPtXFKNZnFuKxYZxsv2gUl"><span lang=FR-CH>https://www.facebook.com/wipo/posts/pfbid0NpZZm48KmbnE35edMWMXXJZiMAj1F6uxGd1hUbcLHHKjPtXFKNZnFuKxYZxsv2gUl</span></a></span><span lang=FR-CH style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br><b>LI:</b> </span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7270370065164701696"><span lang=FR-CH>https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7270370065164701696</span></a></span><span lang=FR-CH style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>X:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <a href="https://x.com/WIPO/status/1864640867916534216">https://x.com/WIPO/status/1864640867916534216</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Grateful if you and/or your respective organizations could repost.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Martine<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Martine Abel-Williamson – World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) Advisory Board member, Blind Citizens New Zealand representative<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>