[NCABS] National Federation of the Blind and Pearson Announce Agreement to Promote Equal Access to Education

Wed Oct 7 07:45:09 UTC 2020

Yay! As a language junkie, this is huge in my mind. Where do I sign up to volunteer in accessing bliness-related issues in Pearson products? I have experience    assessing websits,products,  and apps for accessibility issues through a paying organization and my personal interest in accessibility.I also have past experience with Pearson products,particularly in Spanish and German,  though I didn't get beyond the first class in German so don't know how useful that will be. But I am almost fluent in Spanish,  no thanks to Pearsoninaccessibility issues. I would loveto volunteer with this project in whatever capacity is deemed most appropriate.
~Amber "Nadia" Gaspard-Cox
functionally totally blind user of VO on IOS and JAWS on Microsoft

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 6, 2020, at 4:14 PM, National Federation of the Blind via NCABS <ncabs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>         [1]
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
> 
> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND AND PEARSON ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO PROMOTE
> EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION
> 
> _AGREEMENT TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY COMES AS BLIND STUDENTS ARE
> INCREASINGLY AFFECTED BY COVID-19 DISRUPTION_
> 
> BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (OCTOBER 6, 2020): The National Federation of the Blind
> (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for the equal education and employment
> of the blind, and Pearson, the world's learning company, have announced a
> formal agreement to enhance the accessibility of Pearson's educational
> products and courses, deepen Pearson's culture of accessibility, and
> accelerate the effectiveness of Pearson's accessibility efforts broadly.
> Ultimately the shared goal of the NFB and Pearson is to identify and remove
> accessibility barriers that prevent blind students from receiving a full
> learning experience. The agreement, officially announced [2] at the recent
> 2020 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind,
> formalizes and expands upon previous collaboration between the two
> organizations. The agreement comes as blind students are being
> disproportionately affected by COVID-19. 
> 
> The agreement's components include: 
> 
>    * The National Federation of the Blind is now formally acting in a
> consulting role with Pearson to inform Pearson's accessibility roadmap and
> specific product remediation and to review and advise Pearson on the
> accessibility roadmaps for its key higher education and assessment
> products. 
>    * The National Federation of the Blind is helping Pearson promote a
> culture of accessibility internally.
>    * Pearson is establishing a communications channel through which the
> National Federation of the Blind can directly and regularly inform Pearson
> about accessibility issues that blind students are experiencing. This will
> help Pearson to respond and remediate barriers more quickly, and in turn
> Pearson will keep the NFB apprised of resolutions.
>    * Pearson has already begun to conduct an audit of its most important
> higher education products. This focuses on more than 40 of its most widely
> used MyLab and Mastering courses, with the goal to identify and remediate
> accessibility issues as quickly as possible. Pearson is also conducting
> audits of key user journeys through the MyLab and Mastering products, such
> as registration, completing homework assignments, and using the eText, to
> ensure that blind students have a simple and positive experience with these
> products.
>    * Pearson will share accessibility updates on its public-facing websites
> and make details on accessibility status and plans available to customers
> who need them.
> 
> "The National Federation of the Blind has long called upon Pearson to
> improve the accessibility of its products and to be accountable for its
> efforts to blind students, to parents, and to schools," said Mark
> Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "We commend
> Pearson for answering that call by entering into this agreement and we look
> forward to the collaboration and innovation promised by this new
> partnership." 
> 
> "As a leader in education, we can only fulfill our mission to serve all
> learners by making our products and services accessible to the blind and
> all people with disabilities. I am proud that Pearson and the National
> Federation of the Blind have officially locked arms and begun working in
> concert towards a more accessible future for blind learners," said Tim
> Bozik, President for Global Product and North America Courseware for
> Pearson. "As many blind students are being disproportionately affected by
> COVID, this is an especially important time for us to advance our work
> together." 
> 
> In addition to this partnership, Pearson and the National Federation of the
> Blind recently expanded a Corporate Disability Mentoring Program [3] to
> help blind youth learn and succeed in their careers. The expanded program
> is also an opportunity for Pearson employees to learn directly from blind
> mentees and better understand their lived experiences. 
> 
> ### 
> 
> ABOUT THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), headquartered in Baltimore, is
> the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded
> in 1940, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in the
> fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The NFB defends the rights of
> blind people of all ages and provides information and support to families
> with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and more. We
> believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to
> transform them into reality. Learn more about our many programs and
> initiatives at www.nfb.org [4]. 
> 
> ABOUT PEARSON
> 
> We are the world's learning company with more than 22,500 employees
> operating in 70 countries. We provide content, assessment and digital
> services to learners, educational institutions, employers, governments and
> other partners globally. We are committed to helping equip learners with
> the skills they need to enhance their employability prospects and to
> succeed in the changing world of work. We believe that wherever learning
> flourishes so do people. Visit www.Pearson.com [5] for more. 
> 
> CONTACT:
> 
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> National Federation of the Blind
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> cdanielsen at nfb.org 
> 
>         [6] 
>         [7] 
>         [8] 
>         [9] 
> 
>         [10] 
> 
>         National Federation of the Blind | 200 E Wells Street | Baltimore, MD
> 21230 | 410-659-9314 
> 
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>         .. 
> 
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> Links:
> ------
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