Benetech,
a nonprofit social enterprise that focuses on scalable technology solutions to
improve accessibility and human rights, has rolled out a third-party
verification program that lets schools and colleges determine how well
e-textbooks meet the needs of visually impaired or dyslexic students or those
with other print disabilities.
Called
Global Certified Accessible (GCA), the program was developed in conjunction
with the U.K.’s Royal Institute for the Blind, Vision Australia, and Dedicon, a
Dutch creator of accessibility products and services, and underwent a six-month
pilot. GCA is a standardized ratings system for evaluating digital titles based
on more than 100 accessibility features. It can be used by publishers as well
as school districts and higher-ed institutions, and recommends remediation
where content falls short of its standards.
“We
find that files improve significantly after first-round reviews and that
subsequent files reflect the insights gained from our feedback,” said a
Benetech release.
Accessibility
is a key issue for schools, both to serve students better and
to avoid legal action for falling short. A Blackboard study earlier this year
indicated that the average overall accessibility score for college and
university campuses hasn’t improved greatly over the past five years, inching
up from 27.5% to just 30.6%.
On
the publishing side, Ingram Content Group will incorporate GCA into its
VitalSource and CoreSource platforms. Elsevier, HarperCollins, Harvard Business
Publishing, Macmillan Learning, and Penguin Random House are among GCA’s other
early supporters, although the system is now open to all publishers.
“Every
publisher should strive to make their content as accessible as possible,” Denis
Saulnier, managing director of product design and delivery, higher education,
for Harvard Business Publishing, said in a Benetech blog post. “The first step
is getting an accurate snapshot of compliance. Benetech’s process is invaluable
in identifying areas of improvement and helping to prioritize work.”
