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Avneesh Singh is the catalyst of many of the global laws for web accessibility and the former CTO of DAISY Consortium
Diversity Editorial Team
Note from the editor: When Diversity publish a special edition on digital education that change the lives of children with print challenges, we can never forget Engineer Avneesh Singh. He is a very silent professional who believe in end results than any fame. He was one of the mastermind of Worldwide DAISY Consortium and was the chairman of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Consortium who bought accessibility laws for World Wide Web and Digital publications. He also helped to perfect NVDA for India.
Avneesh Singh is a distinguished strategic leader whose life and career have been dedicated to a singular, profound purpose: ensuring that the digital and reading worlds are accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. Based in Delhi, India, Singh operates from the heart of an emerging economy that is projected to add over one billion internet users in the coming decade. As a blind person living and working in this rapidly evolving environment, he brings a unique and essential perspective to the global stage of accessibility and technology.
The foundation of Singh’s expertise is built upon a rigorous academic and technical background. He is a computer engineer with extensive experience in developing international standards and software implementations. Recognizing the need for strategic management in the non-profit sector, he earned an Executive MBA in Strategy and Marketing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM). He further honed his leadership capabilities at Harvard University, where he studied specialized approaches for mobilizing non-profit boards and optimizing organizational governance.
Singh currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the DAISY Consortium, a global non-profit organization that pioneered the worldwide standards for accessible digital books. With over 19 years of experience working with multicultural and multilingual participants across more than 100 countries, he has developed a deep sensitivity to the needs of non-English speaking communities and underserved populations. His colleagues describe him as a mission-driven leader possessing a rare combination of technical prowess and exceptional organizational and communication skills.
Singh’s impact on accessibility is perhaps most visible in his work to bridge the "book famine" for the print-disabled, particularly in India. In his addresses, he has highlighted the massive scale of the challenge in his home country, where there are approximately 12 million people with print disabilities, including 5.3 million with visual impairments and millions more with cognitive or other disabilities that prevent them from reading traditional paper books. Historically, only a tiny fraction—less than one percent—of published material in India was available in accessible formats, reaching only about 50,000 people.
Singh identified that the primary barrier to accessibility was a fragmented approach. India’s education system is split across numerous central and state school boards, each with different curricula and a wide array of private and government publishers. Furthermore, the government had historically only supported Braille as the official accessible format, which did not meet the needs of all print-disabled individuals.
To solve this, Singh championed a strategy centered on standardization and a common platform. He was instrumental in identifying and promoting EPUB 3 as the successor to the DAISY standard. He argued that EPUB 3 was the only standard capable of creating a "single master copy" that could be easily converted into audio, Braille, or large print while supporting the 22 recognized Indian languages and various regional dialects.
His advocacy led to several decisive milestones in India:
Beyond digital publishing, Avneesh Singh has become a pivotal figure in the governance of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). He has served on the W3C Advisory Board (AB) for six years, earning a reputation as the "voice of logic and wisdom" for his ability to provide thoughtful guidance in complex situations.
During a period of significant change for the W3C, Singh was a key advocate for its transition to a new legal entity. He initiated critical work on the organization’s strategy, including defining its purpose, vision, values, principles, and strategic goals. His leadership was characterized by a commitment to making W3C a member-led, community-driven organization.
He specifically focused on:
Avneesh Singh’s life work is defined by his ability to bridge the gap between technical standards and social values. Whether through his participation in the Bureau of Indian Standards or his strategic role in the W3C, he consistently advocates for the social potential of the World Wide Web to transform lives in underserved communities.
He remains committed to ensuring that the systems replacing the "W3C Director" are fair and trusted by a diverse global community. By combining his institutional knowledge with a reflective and listening personality, Singh continues to work toward a future where the digital world is a positive inflection point for humanity—one where the barriers to information are removed for everyone, everywhere.
WCAG 2.2 panel discussion moderated by Srinivasu Chakravarthula, featuring speakers Priti Rohra, Avneesh Singh, and Aparna Singhal