Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Subjects

Web accessibility, Web content -- Editing, Digital Content -- Research -- Methodology

Abstract

Digital content is overwhelmingly inaccessible across the web, and web accessibility is a particularly wicked problem. Technical editors with accessibility specializations serve as a part of the solution, however, the market for these professionals is emerging and poorly understood. The purpose of this research is to explore this emerging market and determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for these editors. Considering the limited body of knowledge surrounding this market, I utilize a variety of diverse web resources including peerreviewed journal publications, blogs, forums, and trusted web accessibility resources and organizations. The findings, contextualized by my identity as a disabled editor specializing in this field, include strengths in the freelance economy, professional certifications and resources, editorial training and skill, and community; opportunities include job growth and education; weaknesses include low visibility for editors; and threats include challenges faced by disabled editors, accessibility overlays, legal risks, and editorial rates. This research is not exhaustive, and is one of the first in its field. Further research is needed to explore gaps within the market and rapidly changing factors such as accessibility legislation and the impact of tools such as generative artificial intelligence.

Rights

© 2024 Julian Luck

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Description

Paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Writing: Book Publishing.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42398

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