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

Tue Oct 6 18:00:23 UTC 2020

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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 

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 		 National Federation of the Blind | 200 E Wells Street | Baltimore, MD
21230 | 410-659-9314 

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