Media Advisory - AMI appoints Accessibility Officer

TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2014 /CNW/ - Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) announced today the appointment of Robert Pearson as the organization's Accessibility Officer. Robert will be based out of AMI's Toronto office and will report to David Errington, AMI's President and CEO.

Robert joined AMI in April, 2011 as Director, Accessible Digital Media responsible for leading AMI's efforts to improve the accessibility of digital media, develop and manage AMI's relationships with likeminded and accessibility focused organizations and to liaise with the CRTC on various initiatives. In his new role, Robert's focus will be on establishing and maintaining AMI as a leader and standard bearer on media accessibility by setting and influencing accessibility standards and best practices, shaping organization policies and practices and encouraging the development of technology and industry solutions that contribute to creating an inclusive environment within AMI and with their external partners.

"Robert is the ideal candidate for this role," explains David Errington, AMI President and CEO. "He has an extensive background in the area of accessibility and is highly regarded within that industry. He has built and nurtured relationships with organizations around the world that share similar corporate missions to that of AMI – to create an inclusive society in which media is accessible to all Canadians."

Prior to joining AMI, Robert was the Manager of Accessibility for a major Canadian financial institution and was a member of the Ontario provincial government Accessibility for Ontarian's with Disabilities Act (AODA) Information and Communications Standards Development Committee. He has been involved with the accessibility industry for more than 15 years, is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on behalf of AMI and has published numerous articles. Robert is a community builder and a passionate advocate for accessibility.

"I'm excited to expand my role as ambassador for AMI and to further endorse accessibility within the broadcast and digital industries," says Robert. "As Accessibility Officer, I will have the opportunity to position AMI as a world standard bearer in the area of accessibility and lend our expertise to other organizations. I'm eager to undertake new and enhanced initiatives, some of which include evaluating broadcast accessibility practices and continuing to enrich AMI's advocacy role through social and conference interactions."

Robert assumes his role of Accessibility Officer effective immediately.

For further information on AMI and its programs and initiatives, please visit www.AMI.ca.

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About Accessible Media Inc. 

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) is a not-for-profit multimedia organization operating two broadcast services: AMI-audio and AMI-tv, and a website (AMI.ca). A third broadcast service, AMI-télé, will launch in December 2014. Serving more than five million Canadians who are blind, partially sighted, deaf, hard of hearing, mobility or print restricted, AMI's mission is to make accessible media for all Canadians.

Image with caption: "Robert Pearson - Accessibility Officer, Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) (CNW Group/Accessible Media Inc. (AMI))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141202_C5902_PHOTO_EN_8809.jpg

SOURCE: Accessible Media Inc. (AMI)

Janis Davidson Pressick, Communications Manager, 800-567-6755 ext. 0971, [email protected]; Taylor Turner, Communications Coordinator, 800-567-6755 ext. 0977, [email protected]