Breaking barriers in boating education
RYA Publications has been shortlisted for the 2025 ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing — a global accolade recognising leadership and innovation in making digital content accessible to people who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print-disabled.
Presented by the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) and led by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the award places RYA Publications among world-class publishers such as Cambridge University Press and DK Braille.
This recognition reflects the team’s commitment to inclusive publishing and aligns with the RYA’s ‘Together on Water’ strategy — a mission to remove barriers to boating and enable everyone to thrive on the water.
'Inclusion at the heart'
The RYA is one of three finalists in the publisher category this year, alongside submissions from Canada and Colombia, with the award panel’s Stacy Scott commenting: “Sailing is a hugely popular sport among blind and partially sighted people, yet the highly visual nature of sailing instruction — such as diagrams of knots, sail trim, and navigation — can make learning inaccessible without careful adaptation.
“The RYA showed us that recreational associations can also tackle this challenge, ensuring that every aspiring sailor, regardless of print disability, can read the world-class training materials the RYA is known for.
“This commitment to accessibility reflects the spirit of inclusion at the heart of sailing and hopefully can inspire other sports associations.”
The RYA Publications team embeds accessibility into every stage of the publishing process, from font and layout choices to semantic tagging and alt-text, and collaborates with distribution partners like Apple Books and Google Play Books, ensuring accessibility features are clearly described and supported.
All new frontlist titles are born accessible EPUBs, compliant with WCAG 2.0 AA standards, and available on publication day, while the team is also converting backlist titles and offers a bespoke service to provide accessible versions within two weeks upon request. Students are already benefitting from personalised accessible EPUBs, enabling them to complete RYA training courses equitably.
RYA Head of Publications Steen Ingerslev said: “To be shortlisted for such a prestigious international award is a huge honour and a proud moment for the team, in particular Sarah Pavey, Senior Editor – Digital, who has driven these efforts.
“It reflects years of commitment to making our content more inclusive and accessible, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see that work recognised on a global stage.
“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and enjoy being on the water and accessible publishing is a vital part of making that possible.”
The winners of the ABC International Excellence Awards will be announced at the World Blindness Summit in São Paulo, Brazil, in September.
Regardless of the outcome, the recognition places RYA Publications firmly on the global stage as a leader in accessible publishing.
RYA Books App: Learning without limits
This summer saw a major upgrade to RYA Books app, making digital boating resources more inclusive and user-friendly than ever before.
The app now supports screen readers and allows users to switch to text view, adjust font size, and navigate via a table of contents — features designed to support diverse learning needs.
Currently, almost 40 of RYA’s most popular titles are available in accessible formats on iOS, with Android support imminent. From September, users will also be able to stream audiobooks alongside their eBooks, adding even more flexibility to the learning experience.
Whether you're a Recognised Training Centre supporting students, an instructor preparing for courses, or a recreational boater brushing up on your seamanship, the upgraded app brings accessibility directly to your fingertips.
The team remains committed to continuous improvement, regularly updating workflows and schemas to reflect evolving best practices.
Get involved
If a particular title isn’t yet accessible, students, instructors or training centres are encouraged to contact the team at publications@rya.org.uk. Priority updates can be made upon request, ensuring that no learner is left behind.
Check out the RYA Books app today and explore the growing library of accessible titles to support your skills development.
RYA Books on iOS