The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) is conducting a research project funded by Accessibility Standards Canada called the Accessible Commercial Audiobooks Project.

Background information

The goal of the research project is to provide recommendations to commercial audiobook producers and publishers and other stakeholders to improve the accessibility of audiobooks for individuals with print disabilities.  

Read about the first phase of the project

We are now seeking to recruit individuals to participate in the user testing phase of the project, informed by what we learned in our Landscape Review.

Who can participate?

We are seeking a total of 50 participants, 25 who live with a print disability, and 25 who do not. All study participants must live in Canada. Those selected to participate in the study will be asked to read audiobooks and/or excerpts of audiobooks and answer questions about their experiences. Participants will also be asked general questions about audiobooks and to provide demographic information. Providing detailed demographic information will be optional. 

Study participants will be given access to a dedicated website containing the audiobooks materials, testing instructions and a questionnaire. The testing process and questionnaire should take a few hours and can be completed in several sittings.  

We anticipate that the testing will take place in November of 2024 over the course of a couple of weeks. Participants may also be invited to join in optional online focus groups of approximately 1 hour in length.  

Benefits of participation 

This research project has the potential to contribute to the production of more accessible commercial audiobooks which could benefit study participants and audiobook users more broadly. We anticipate that this project will also benefit audiobook publishers, producers and other stakeholders by providing them with information and recommendations about accessible commercial audiobooks.

All selected study participants who complete the testing and study questionnaire will be paid an honorarium of $100. 

How to participate

If you are interested in participating in the Accessible Commercial Audiobooks Standards Project Study, the participant recruitment survey will be conducted online via Survey Monkey and will be open from September 27 to October 21. The survey will help us recruit a diverse and representative group of participants. 

To express your interest in participating in this study, fill out the Study Participant Recruitment Survey. 

If you have questions or need assistance with the survey, please email audiobooks@celalibrary.ca.