How VitalSource® is making it easier for students and institutions to find accessible content

VitalSource® is a proven innovator and trusted partner for institutions globally. Their platforms provide students and educators with access to immersive, engaging digital content, while interactive study and analytics tools give users experiences and insights that cannot be achieved with print textbooks. Bookshelf® is the world’s leading platform for distributing, accessing, consuming, and engaging with those materials, and can be accessed online or 100% offline on any device. It connects students to interactive content from over 1,000 global and local language publishers for study in class or on the go.

Fo the past 18 months, VitalSource has been working with all parts of the supply chain to ensure that content delivered to them has accessibility features described using industry standards, and that those features are transparently available on their platform.

For the first time, a student using VitalSource does not have to ask for assistance. In both the VitalSource store and any white label stores, students can see if the content will accommodate their needs before they purchase. Because they make this information available through their content catalogues, this also means publishing partners, institutions, and resellers can indicate content accessibility features on their product detail pages.

Accessibility is an important aspect of modern education around the world, and one that is becoming of increasingly higher priority for both institutions and students. Features like text to speech, the ability to resize text, and navigational tagging ensures a stress-free learning experience for those with disabilities. A 2018 case study with BPP University found that students with a visual, hearing, or other cognitive disability were more likely to report that some features, such as the ability to magnify text, had a positive impact on their learning compared to their peers (94% vs. 87%). It’s these positive impacts that truly sets eTextbooks a step above the print equivalent.

Not everyone has the same sensory abilities that the majority enjoy. Being provided with EPUB files that conform to a11y/IDPF/WCAG standards allows VitalSource to display accessibility information more transparently and make the learning experience stress-free for everyone. Content with robust accessibility support, or with clear descriptions of what accessibility options are included, can be adopted more readily by institutions, so with improved accessibility features and transparency, everybody wins. Students have an easier purchasing experience and can learn more efficiently, institutions can provide more support to students with accessibility needs and adopt more content, and the time publishers have been investing into making their EPUB accessible is communicated effectively.

To learn more about VitalSource’s commitment to meeting the needs of learners of all abilities, visit their recently updated information page.