The University of Illinois’ dedication to making content accessible to those with disabilities has been recognized.
The National Federation of the Blind “highly commend(s)” the eText Group, which is a part of CITES at the University for making digital textbooks accessible and available to students. The NFB announced and approved its commendation at its national convention in Orlando on July 5.
The NFB stated that Illinois was recognized for “leading the way in higher education by showing other institutions and learning management systems the full power of a flexible, interactive and well-supported platform that is accessible to the blind and geared to a variety of learning styles and abilities.”
The eText platform allows for online textbooks and study materials to be accessible on an Internet browser for classes. It can be accessed through a regular computer as well as other devices such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Students can save up to 75 percent on costs by choosing eText over printed textbooks, according to CITES.
“The eText@Illinois team has always believed in not compromising on accessibility,” Milind Basole, lead eLearning professional of eText said in a release. “Validation of our work from an esteemed institution like the NFB is not only profoundly gratifying but reinforces our resolve. It also reinforces our belief that accessibility and great user experience go hand in hand.”
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EText allows accessibility through complete keyboard control in the interface as well as other resources to assist those using the product. All multimedia content has captions and any videos on the platform have corresponding transcripts with them. The NFB also recognized the eText’s math equations are easily accessible with text-to-speech application as well as in Braille, something “many mostly accessible platforms struggle to implement.”
The entire program is compliant with Section 508 of the United States Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to make electronic information accessible to people with disabilities.
Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and @steve_bourbon.
