VitalSource Updates Bookshelf Accessibility
VitalSource Technologies, a
provider of digital educational content for colleges and universities, is
updating the accessibility features of its VitalSource Bookshelf e-book
platform.
In 2014, VitalSource acquired CourseSmart, another higher education digital
textbook provider. VitalSource is migrating all of CourseSmart's accessible PDF
content to the VitalSource Bookshelf platform and expects to complete the
migration by mid-August 2015. The new VitalSource Bookshelf content will
include more than 1,000 textbook titles enhanced through the Student E-rent
Pilot Project (STEPP), which was initiated by the Alternative Media Access
Center (AMAC) to help college students with print-related disabilities access
affordable textbooks.
VitalSource has also announced updates to its desktop and mobile
applications. According to information from the company, the updated
applications "provide greater support for assistive technologies interacting
with EPUB and PDF content." VitalSource's downloadable apps will also gain
support for user-added EPUB content to provide "access for assistive
technologies to a wide range of Open Education Resources (OER) and other
content sources."
VitalSource is increasing its collaboration with members of the
accessibility community to help ensure that its platform meets accessibility
standards. The company is an active participant in the Center for Accessible Materials Innovation
(CAMI) and collaborates with organizations such as the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Tech For All, JISC and AMAC.
VitalSource evaluates the accessibility of its Bookshelf platform using
screen-reading programs including JAWS and NVDA for Windows, VoiceOver for Mac
and iOS and TalkBack for Android.
Further information about VitalSource Bookshelf's enhanced accessibility
features can be found on the VitalSource
site.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].